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THE FORESTS OF THE UNITED STATES 



IITCNTCV OANXKTT 



FOREST RESERVES. 



Henry Gannett, Chief of Division. 



THE FORESTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The woodland and forests may be considered from two points of view, 
(a) as a source of lumber supply, and (b) as a physical factor with 
effects upon climate, erosion, and the flow of streams. 

As a source of lumber supply the forest is, to all intents and pur- 
poses, an agricultural crop, differing from most other agricultural 
products in the fact that it requires a long time to reach maturity — gen- 
erations — while other crops require only months or, at most, a few years. 
The forests of the United States consist in part of what is commonly 
called original growth — which means simply that the forest is composed 
in the main of old trees which have, by sufferance of fire and the ax, 
been permitted to reach or exceed maturity — and in part of young 
growth of various ages, covering regions which have been either wholly 
or partially cleared by fire or the ax. The former areas bear a mature 
crop, the latter a crop in process of growth; thus the forest is constantly 
restoring itself in all those regions where the rainfall is sufficient to 
encourage tree growth; and in time, if not interfered with, these 
regions will furnish a supply of lumber as large, and presumably of the 
same quality, as that available when settlement first invaded them. 
Hence, the timber supply of the country is, in a sense, a continuous 
one. Timber is constantly growing to supply that which is used, and 
in this respect it differs from our supplies of iron ore, coal, and other 
minerals. These, when exhausted, will never be replaced. 

The study of the forests of this country has been carried on almost 
entirely upon the botanical side. Our forests have been studied thor- 
oughly and exhaustively by botanists, but the geographic and economic 
sides of the question have received very little attention, except for 
purely commercial or utilitarian purposes. Even such an elementary 
fact as the extent of woodland in this country we know only in a 
broad, general way, except for certain limited areas which have been 
mapped in connection with topographic surveys. Of the amount 
19 geol, PT 5 1 



2 FOREST RESERVES. 

of standing timber available for our use we know almost nothing. In 
view of the agitation for the protection of our forests which has been 
going on for at least a generation, and which has reached such 
intensity that it has become with many persons almost a religion, it 
is strange that there should be practically no knowledge to serve as 
a basis for such a cult. 

In the following pages I propose to set forth the best estimate which, 
so far as I can see, it is possible to make at present of the woodland in 
this country, with its distribution by States. The sources of informa- 
tion will be given in such a way as to show their degree of reliability. 
I shall follow this with a summary of the little information we have 
regarding the quantity of timber, including all estimates with which I 
am acquainted that appear to be worth republishing; and as certain of 
these estimates concern the same area and the same species' of timber 
and differ greatly from one another, I wish to say at the outset that the 
conflicting estimates are not published for the purpose of criticism, but 
simply to show that the best of available estimates do not agree and 
must be accepted with reservations. 

We know in a broad way that the eastern part of the country, 
extending from the Atlantic coast to the prairies, is naturally a for- 
ested region, owing to the fact that rainfall is sufficient to encourage 
the growth of trees. Throughout this region the only areas not for- 
ested at present are those which have been cleared by man, and most of 
these are under some form of cultivation. Wherever the land is left 
waste, forests reproduce themselves. Upon the prairies and the plains 
a,nd in the Eocky Mountain region trees grow wherever the climate 
will permit; — i. e., wherever the rainfall is sufficient for their needs, and 
as rainfall is greater upon the mountains than upon the plains and in 
the valleys, timber is commonly found upon the mountains. On the 
other hand, on the northwest coast, where the rainfall is ample, and in 
some cases excessive, the country is heavily forested. 

WOODED AREAS, BY STATES. 

The wooded area of the country — the area upon which the timber 
crop is growing — is a subject of interest and importance, whatever 
may be the stage of growth of the timber upon it. 

Concerning the areas upon which timber is at present growing, we 
are in position to make certain definite statements, although we know 
the entire area only approximately. Over large parts of the country 
the topographic maps prepared by the Geological Survey show the 
extent of woodland with a high degree of accuracy. The Hayden, 
Wheeler, and Powell surveys of the Western States and Territories 
mapped the woodlands over other large areas. The Northern Trans- 
continental Survey, carried on by the Northern Pacific Eailroad Com- 
pany, and the Northern Pacific Eailroad Company itself have mapped 
considerable areas in the State of Washington. California, through 



GANNETT. 



WOODED AREAS, BY STATES. 3 



its forestry commission, has similarly mapped the forested areas in the 
northern part of the State. From these sources the timbered areas of 
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Kansas, Colo- 
rado, Utah, and parts of other States have been depicted in detail. 

In most of the Eastern States, which are naturally forested, a close 
approximation to the wooded areas has been obtained from the figures 
of tbe Tenth and later censuses. These give the total land area, the 
area included in farms, and, of the area included in farms, the wood- 
land. The item of woodland given in these statistics does not include 
waste or brash land, but only that properly classified as woodland. 
It is assumed that the area not in farms is, in these States, composed 
of woodland, an assumption which is for most of these States sub- 
stantially correct, and for those States where it is not true, allowance 
has been made for the area naturally devoid of timber. In the States 
of the prairie, plains, and Cordilleran regions, for which this assump- 
tion is incorrect, other means of obtaining the timbered areas have 
been used, as set forth in the detailed account following : 

MAINE. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 1880. 

Sq. miles. 

Total land area 29 875 

Woodland in farms 4 200 

Woodland not in farms 19 500 

Total woodland 23 700 

Percentage of land area, 79. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 1880. 

Sq. milea. 
Total land area 9 Q05 

Woodland in farms 2 000 

Woodland not in farms 3 200 

Total woodland 5 200 

Percentage of land area, 58. 

VERMONT. 
The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 1880. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 9 ^35 

AVoodland in farms 2 300 

Woodland not in farms X 600 

Total woodland 3 900 

Percentage of land area, 43. 



4 FOREST EESEEVES. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

The area of woodland, 4,200 square miles, or 52 per cent of the land 
area of the State, has been obtained from the maps of this Survey. 

RHODE ISLAND. 

The area of woodland, 400 square miles, or 40 per cent of the land 
area of the State, has been obtained from the maps of this Survey. 

CONNECTICUT. 

The area of woodland, 1,900 square miles, or 39 per cent of the land 
area of the State, has been obtained from the maps of this Survey. 

NEW YORK. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 1880. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 47,620 

Woodland in farms 8, 100 

Woodland not in farms 10,600 

Total woodland 18,700 

Percentage of land area, 39. 

NEW JERSEY. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the maps of the State 
survey. Wooded area, 3,234 square miles, or 43 per cent of the land 
area of the State. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 1880. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 44,985 

Woodland in farms 9, 100 

Woodland not in farms 14, 100 

Total woodland.. 23,200 

Percentage of land area, 51. 

DELAWARE. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 1880. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 1,960 

Woodland in farms 440 

Woodland not in farms 260 

Total woodland 700 

Percentage of land area, 36. 



gaknett.] WOODED AREAS, BY STATES. O 

MARYLAND. 

The area of woodland lias been obtained from the census of 1880. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 9,860 

Woodland in farms 2, 550 

Woodland not in farms 1,850 

Total woodland MOO 

Percentage of land area, 44. 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

The wooded area has been measured from the maps of the U. S. 
Coast and Geodetic Survey at 12 square miles. 

VIRGINIA. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 1880. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area - 40,125 



Woodland in farms 14,300 

Woodland not in farms 9, 100 

Total woodland 23,400 

Percentage of land area, 58. 

WEST VIRGINIA. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 1880. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 24,645 



Woodland in farms 9, 700 

Woodland not in farms 8, 700 



Total woodland 18,400 

Percentage of land area, 74. 

NORTH CAROLINA. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 18S0. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 48,580 



Woodland in farms 21, 700 

Woodland not in farms 13, 600 

Total woodland 35,300 

Percentage of land area, 72. 

SOUTH CAROLINA. 

The area of woodland has been obtained from the census of 18S0. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 30, 170 

Woodland in farms Hj 300 

Woodland not in farms 9, 200 

Total woodland 20,500 

Percentage of land area, 68. 



6 FOREST RESERVES. 

GEORGIA. 

Iii the reports upon cotton production of the census of 1880 there are 
statements of the wooded area of each county in the States of Georgia, 
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Ten- 
nessee. They were obtained with considerable care by Prof. Eugene 
Hilgard and his assistants. In the case of Georgia, each county is 
reported to be naturally entirely woodland. The wooded area has 
therefore been accepted as given by the census, without change. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 58,980 

Woodland in farms 23,800 

Woodland not in farms 18, 200 

Total woodland ---- 42,000 

Percentage of land area, 71. 

FLORIDA. 

In the description of the counties of this State in the report upon 
cotton production, above cited, it is stated that an area of 14,760 square 
miles is devoid of timber. This is comprised almost entirely in the 
southern portion of the peninsula. The census figures for woodland, 
obtained in the mauner above described, have therefore been reduced 
by this amount, leaving a timbered area of 31,300 square miles, or 70 
per cent of the area of the State, as follows 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 54,240 

Woodland in farms 3, 400 

Woodland not in farms 34, 300 

Total woodland 37,700 

Percentage of land area, 70. 

ALABAMA. 

In this State the counties are reported as being composed entirely of 
woodland, and no reduction is therefore made from the census figures. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area ...' 51. 540 

Woodland in farms 10, 300 

Woodland not in farms 22,000 

Total woodland 38,300 

Percentage of land area, 74. 

MISSISSIPPI. 

In this State Professor Hilgard reports that 3,600 square miles are 
naturally open country. While some of this area, perhaps a consider- 
able part of it, may have been reduced to cultivation, appearing in the 
census reports as improved land, still the entire amount has been 



GANNETT. 



WOODED AREAS, BY STATES. 7 



deducted from the ceusus figures, leaving a timbered area in the State 
of 32,300 square miles, or 70 per cent. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area - 46, 340 

Woodland in farms - 14,300 

Area not in farms - 21, 600 

35, 900 
Open areas not in farms — 3, 600 

Total woodland.. .. 32,300 

Percentage of land area, TO. 

LOUISIANA. 

Iii this State Professor Hilgard reports 11,300 square miles of natur- 
ally open country. This is mainly in the southern counties, bordering 
the Gulf. It has been deducted from the census figures, leaving 28,300 
square miles of woodland, or 62 per cent of the area of the State. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area - 45, 420 

Woodland in farms "h 100 

Area not in farms 32, 500 

39, 600 
Open country not in farms H> 300 

Total woodland 28,300 

Percentage of land area, 62. 

Texas. 

The total land area of Texas is 262,290 square miles. The areas of 
woodland in the central and western portions of this State have been 
measured from the maps of this organization. Other timbered regions, 
all of which are comprised in the eastern part of the State, have been 
taken directly from the reports upon cotton production above cited, 
giving the total wooded area of the State at 64,000 square miles, or 24 
per cent of its area. 

ARKANSAS. 

In this State the reports upon cotton production give the area of 
naturally open country at 1,500 square miles. The census figures have 
therefore been reduced by this amount, leaving a timbered area of 
45,000 square miles, or 84 per cent. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 5 3, 945 

Woodland in farms 12,300 

Area not in farms 34, 200 

46, 500 
Open country not in farms 1> 500 

Total woodland 45,000 

Percentage of land area, 84. 



8 FOEEST EESEEVES. 

KENTUCKY. 

In Kentucky the census method has been employed. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 40,000 

Woodland in farms 15,800 

Woodland not in farms 6, 400 

Total woodland 22,200 

Percentage of land area, 55. 

TENNESSEE. 

In Tennessee the census method has been employed, since the cotton 
reports specify that the counties are all naturally covered with timber. 

Sq. miles. 
Total land area 41,750 

Woodland in farms _. 17,600 

Woodland not in farms 9, 700 

Total woodland 27,300 

Percentage of land area, 65. 

OHIO. 

With the exception of 2,460 square miles, or about 6 per cent, the 
entire area of Ohio was included in farms. The woodland in frirms was 
reported at 9,300 square miles. The area not included in farms is little 
more than is necessary to allow for roads, right of way of railroads, 
and the areas of cities. The area of woodlaud in farms, therefore, may 
be regarded as a close approximation to the total wooded area of the 
State. This is about 23 per cent of its area. 

INDIANA. 

& 

The area in farms in this State is approximately 32,000 square miles, 
leaving only 3,900 square miles not included in farms'. Of this, probably 
about 1,000 square miles are occupied by roads, railroads, and town 
sites, leaving 2,900 square miles. Much of this is in the southern part 
of the State, which is better timbered than the northern part, and it is 
believed that certainly half of this land is wooded. This, added to the 
woodland in farms, 9,300 square miles, makes a total of 10,800 square 
miles of timber land in the State, or 30 per cent of its area. 

ILLINOIS. 

The land area of Illinois is 56,000 square miles. Of this, 49,500 square 
miles are included in farms, leaving 6,500 square miles to be accounted 
for. The southern portion of the State is well timbered, and the greater 
part of the area not in farms is found in these southern counties. After 
allowing 1,500 square miles for roads, railroads, and town sites, it is 



gannett.] WOODED AREAS, BY STATES. 9 

believed that one-half the remainder, or 2,500 square miles, is timbered, 
and this, added to the 7,700 square miles of woodland in farms, makes 
10,200 square miles as the entire wooded area of the State, or IS per 
cent. 

MICHIGAN. 

In this State we have the returns from the census of 1894. At that 
time the southern portion of the State, in which all the prairie laud is 
situated, was almost entirely taken up in farms, the upper portion of 
the lower peninsula and the entire upper peninsula, except where 
improved, being woodland. The entire land area of the State is 57,430 
square miles. The woodland in farms was 4,600 square miles; the 
entire area in farms was 23,900 square miles, leaving 33,530 square 
miles as woodland not in farms. This, with the woodland in farms, 
makes a total for the State of about 38,000 square miles, or 67 per cent 
of the area of the State. 

WISCONSIN. 

Land area, 54,450 square miles. For this State we have the State 
census for 1S95, showing a total area in farms of 28,700 square miles, 
which, subtracted from the total area of the State, leaves 25,750 square 
miles, practically all of which is timbered laud. This, added to the 
timbered area in farms, 6,000 square miles, makes 31,750 square miles 
of woodland in the State, or 58 per cent of its area. 

MINNESOTA. 

The census figures for 1880 in this State are inadequate to express 
its present condition, inasmuch as at that time large tracts of prairie 
land in the southern part were not included in farms. The census of 
the State, taken in 1895, does not give farm areas, but the State Geo- 
logical and Natural History Survey has made an estimate of the tim- 
bered area, which is, I believe, entitled to confidence, and has been 
accepted. This gives the timbered area of the State as 52,200 square 
miles, or 66 per cent of its area. 



Land area, 55,475 square miles. This is essentially a prairie State, 
containing but little timber, and that scattered in small areas over its 
surface. The figures of the census of 18S0 can not be used, as in other 
States, inasmuch as at that time large areas of prairie land were not 
included in farms. Judging from the small portion of the State which 
has been mapped by the Geological Survey, and a certain amount ot 
local knowledge, it is estimated that about one-eighth of the State, or 
say 7,000 square miles, consists of woodland. 



10 FOREST RESERVES. 

MISSOURI. 

Within this State the transition occurs from dense forests, which 
cover the southeastern portion, to prairie lands in the northwest. North 
of Missouri River the country is largely rjrairie, the proportion of 
prairie increasing westward. South of the river the eastern portion 
of the State is naturally entirely forested, the proportion of forest 
diminishing in the western part until along the west boundary not 
more than 20 to 30 per cent is naturally forested. 

About one-fourth of this State has been mapped by this organiza- 
tion, being the central and southwest portions. The maps show this 
progressive diminution of timber, and, so far as they go, the distribu- 
tion of woodland. Using them as the basis of an estimate for the 
State, a result was obtained which accords very closely with the results 
obtained from the census of 1880, and this has been adopted. It is as 
follows : 

Sq. miles. 

Total land area 68, 735 

Wooded area in farms 15, 800 

Woodland not in farms 25, 200 

Total wooded area 41, 000 

Percentage of land area of the State, 60. 

NORTH DAKOTA. 

This State contains only a trifling amount of woodland, located in 
the valley of Missouri River, about Devils Lake, and in the Pembina 
Mountains. The total area is estimated at 600 square miles, or about 
1 per cent of the area of the State. 

SOUTH DAKOTA. 

The main body of timber in this State is in the Black Hills, in the 
southwestern portion. A narrow strip occurs also along Missouri 
River and other large streams. The area of timber in the Black Hills 
is taken from the maps of this organization, and covers 2,000 square 
miles, to which may be added 500 square miles as the area in the 
bottom lands of the streams, making a total of 2,500 square miles, or 
3 per cent of the area of the State. 

NEBRASKA. 

The wooded portion of Nebraska is in the extreme eastern portion of 
the State, and is estimated at 2,300 square miles, or 3 per cent of the 
State's area. A large body of pine timber is reported in the north- 
western part of the State, but its area and limits are unknown. 



WOODED AREAS, BY STATES. 11 



The wooded area of Kansas is in the eastern portion of the State. 
It is narrow in tb« north and broadens southward. It has been mapped 
by this organization, its area being 5,700 square miles, or 7 per cent of 
the State's area. 

INDIAN TERRITORY. 

The wooded area of the Territory covers 20,000 square miles, or 65 
per cent of its area. This area is obtained from maps and plats of the 
Territory. Nearly all of the Choctaw Nation, part of the Creek Nation, 
the eastern portion of the Cherokee Nation, and about half of the 
Chickasaw Nation are woodland. 

OKLAHOMA. 

The wooded area of Oklahoma is taken, in the main, from the maps 
of this Survey, which indicate that it comprises 4,400 square miles of 
the eastern portion of the Territory, or 11 per cent of its entire area. 

MONTANA. 

Of the area of Montana it is estimated that 42,000 square miles, or 
29 per cent, are wooded. In obtaining these figures the maps of this 
organization, covering much of the western portion of the State, were 
used. The remaining timbered portions were outlined from local 
knowledge possessed by men in this office, particularly Mr. J. B. 
Leiberg. 

WYOMING. 

The timbered area of Wyoming is estimated at 12,500 square miles, 
being 13 per cent of the area of the State. This estimate was obtained 
from the maps of this organization, covering the Bighorn Mountains 
and Yellowstone Park and the adjacent forest reserves, and the Hay- 
den map of the southwestern portion of the State, supplemented in 
other regions by local knowledge possessed by topographers of the 
Survey. 

COLORADO. 

The wooded area of Colorado is 33,500 square miles, or 32 per cent 
of the area of the State. This was taken from the surveys made by 
the Hayden Survey in 1872 to 1876. 

NEW MEXICO. 

The wooded area of New Mexico is estimated at 23,700 square miles, 
or 19 per cent of the area of the Territory. This was obtained from the 
maps of this Survey and of the Wheeler Survey, supplemented by local 
knowledge possessed by men in this office. 



12 FOREST RESERVES. 

ARIZONA. 

The wooded area of this Territory is estimated at 25,000 square miles, 
or 22 per cent of the total area. The estimate has been obtained, in 
the main, from maps of this organization, which cover the northern 
part of the Territory, embracing most of its woodland. The wooded 
regions about the head of Gila River, which constitute practically all 
the remaining areas, were outlined by Mr. Gilbert Thompson, of this 
Survey, from his knowledge of the locality. 



The wooded area of Utah is 10,000 square miles, or 12J per ceht of 
the area of the State, as determined by the Powell Survey. 



The wooded area of Idaho is estimated at 35,000 square miles, or 42 
per cent of its area. This is comprised almost entirely in the northern 
portion of the State. Data for this estimate were obtained from maps 
prepared by Mr. Leiberg and from the atlas sheets of this Survey. 

WASHINGTON. 

Of this, one of the most important lumber States of the country, the 
wooded area is estimated at 47,700 square miles, or 71 per cent of the 
area of the State. . This wooded area extends from the Pacific coast 
eastward to the eastern base of the Cascade Eange, and includes also 
the northern portion of the State and a narrow, irregular strip upon 
the east. 

OREGON. 

The wooded area of Oregon is estimated at 54,300 square miles, or 
57 per cent of the area of the State. The outlines of the woodland in 
this State were, in large part, obtained from the explorations of Mr. 
Leiberg. From the coast to the eastern base of the Cascades the State 
is timbered, with the exception of small prairies and clearings in Will- 
amette and other valleys in the depression between the Cascade and 
Coast ranges. The Blue Mountains, in the northeast, are wooded, and 
timber is found upon several of the ranges traversing the central and 
southeastern portions of the State. 



The wooded area of Nevada is estimated at 6,100 square miles. Most 
of this is in the western portion, where the Sierra forests project over 
into this State, and a little is found upon the summits of the higher 
ranges in other parts of the State. The wooded area forms less than 
6 per cent of the area of the State. 



WOODED AREAS, BY STATES. 



13 



CALIFORNIA. 

Of the area of California 44,700 square miles are woodland. Nearly- 
all this area is comprised in the northern half of the State. The forests 
cover the Coast Eanges from a little above the Bay of San Francisco 
to the State line, and cover the Sierra throughout its entire extent, 
with the exception of small areas above timber line. Some woodland, 
but not much, is found in the Coast Banges and in the ranges of 
southern California. The wooded area comprises 22 per cent of the 
area of the State. 

SUMMARY. 

The foregoing figures are summarized in the following table; 

Wooded areas in the United States, oy States. 



Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

Massachusetts 

Ehode Island 

Connecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

Delaware 

Maryland 

District of Columbia 

Virginia 

West Virginia 

North Carolina 

South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Texas 

Arkansas 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Illinois 

Michigan 



Sq. miles. 

23, 700 

5,200 

3,900 

4,200 

400 

1,900 

18, 700 

3,234 

23, 200 

700 

4,400 

12 

23, 400 

18, 400 

35, 300 

20, 500 

42, 000 

37, 700 

38, 300 
32, 300 
28, 300 
64, 000 
45, 000 
22, 200 
27, 300 

9,300 
10, 800 
10, 200 
38, 000 



Percent- 

age of 

land area. 



14 



FOREST RESERVES. 
Wooded areas in the United States, by States — Continued. 



Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Iowa 

Missouri 

North Dakota.. 
South Dakota . . 

Nebraska 

Kansas 

Indian Territory 

Oklahoma 

Montana 

Wyoming 

Colorado 

New Mexico 

Arizona 

Utah 

Idaho 

Washington 

Oregon 

Nevada 

California 



Sq. miles. 

31, 750 

52, 200 

7,000 

41, 000 

600 

2,500 

2,300 

5,700 

20, 000 

4,400 

42, 000 

12, 500 

33, 500 

23, 700 

25, 000 

10, 000 

35, 000 

47, 700 

54, 300 

6,100 

44,700 



Percent- 
age of 



1, 094, 496 



The total is 37 per cent of the area of the country, excluding Alaska. 

AMOUNT OF MERCHANTABLE STANDING TIMBER, AND 
SUMMARY AISTD SOURCES OF DATA. 

Of the amount of standing timber of merchantable size — i. e., of the 
size commonly used at the mills — very little data have been published. 
It is true that estimates have been made in the interests of lumber 
dealers, railroads (of land grants), and States (for making selections), 
but in very few cases have these "cruisings" been collected and the 
results digested and published. Most of the estimates of standing 
timber which have found their way into print are the merest guesses, 
and are not worth the paper they are printed on. 

Cruisings made in the most careful manner by experienced men are 
often found to differ materially from one another. This may, however, 
be due to other causes than man's fallibility. The standard of the 
mill practice differs greatly in different parts of the United States, 
and lias differed widely at different times. For instance, in the Lake 
States trees are cut and sent to tlie mill which will square 8, or even 



G41OTHT.] MERCHANTABLE STANDING TIMBER. 15 

only 6 inches, and trees from which only one stick can be obtained 
are cut: while, on the other hand, in Oregon. Washington, and Cali- 
fornia the smallest tree which is cut must furnish at least two sticks, 
each of which must square at least 12 inches. The cruiser's practice, 
of course, follows the mill practice, and the result is that the cruisers 
estimates under Washington practice would show vastly less timber 
than if made under Michigan practice. An estimate of the standing 
timber in Washington made twenty-five years hence, when timber 
will have become scarce and the lumberman's standard lowered, will 
doubtless show twice as much timber in the same area as if made to-day. 
The first attempt to obtain the amount of standing timber in any 
considerable part of the United States was that of Prof. C. S. Sargent, 
under the Tenth Census, in 1S80. This was a pioneer work, and it 
gave us the first definite ideas concerning any portion of our resources 
in standing timber. His estimates were obtained for the most part by 
well-qualified experts, and are probably, as far as they go, approxima- 
tions to the truth. They were, however, confined to certain Conifers in 
certain regions, no estimate being made of hard woods, and they were, 
with the exception of the redwoods of California, limited to portions of 
the Eastern forests. They were limited to saw timber — i. e., the timber 
sufficiently large and of suitable quality for the mill. 

In 1896 the State fire warden of -Minnesota, Gen. C. 0. Andrews, 
published in his second annual report au estimate of the timber of that 
State, including not only the milling timber, but firewood as well. His 
method consisted, in the main, in obtaining from township and county 
officers estimates of the timbered areas and of the average stand. At 
about the same time Mr. C. A. Smith, a prominent lumberman of Min- 
neapolis, who has had a large part of the timbered regions of the State 
cruised in his interest, made a similar estimate, confining it, however, 
to the white and yellow pine of the State suitable for milling purposes. 
This was based, doubtless, upon the cruisings in his possession, and the 
result differed widely from all other estimates. 

In 1S97 an estimate was made of the standing timber of Wisconsin 
by Mr. Filibert Both, of the United States Department of Agriculture, 
in cooperation with the geological survey of Wisconsin. It is not 
clear from his report, which was pubbshed as Bulletin 16 of the 
Division of Forestry, Department of Agriculture, what method was 
employed in obtaining his result, but presumably, to a large extent, it 
is a collection and digestion of actual cruisings. 

Several estimates have been made of the redwoods of California, 
which occupy a narrow strip in the western part of the Coast Eanges 
north of the Bay of San Francisco. The first of these to be mentioned 
is that of Prof. C. S. Sargent, made in connection with his work for the 
Tenth Census, already mentioned; a second was made by the State 
board of forestry of California; and a third by Mr. A. C. Tibbetts, 
secretary of the Humboldt Lumber Manufacturers' Association, and 
pubbshed in the Eleventh Census report upon forest industries. 



16 



FOREST RESERVES. 



Iii the report just cited there is a table giving the areas of timbered 
lands and the stands of timber upon them which were in 1890 owned by 
manufacturers of lumber. The data are given by States, and include 
timbered area in acres, the total stand of merchantable timber, and the 
average stand per acre. These figures are, of course, by no means com- 
plete, since they include only a small part of the timbered land. The 
average stand per acre is necessarily that of picked timber land, and is 
by no means an average of the timbered land in the State, and there- 
fore, as an aid in discovering the total amount of timber in the country 
or in any State, they have little value. 

The above paragraphs summarize all the sources of information 
known to me relating to the statistics of standing timber in this country. 
There are doubtless figures relating to small areas, scattered about in 
fugitive form, which might be used, but I am persuaded that any such 
figures would add little to our knowledge. 

The following table contains a summary of the information derived 
from the above sources. It is arranged by States, by species of timber, 
and by authorities, and is placed in this form in order to bring together 
different estimates of the same thing, the figures being given in millions 
of feet B. M. 

Estimates of merchantable standing timber. 



Stare, 



Maine 

New Hampshire . 



White pine. 

Spruce 

do 

Hemlock ... 



Hard wood, including fire- 
wood. 

Spruce 



Sargent. 

do .. 

do .. 

do .. 

do .. 



New York : 

(Adirondack region ) . 



White pine. 

Spruce 

Hemlock 



Pennsylvania . 

West Virginia. 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 



Hardwood, including fire- 
wood. 

White pine 

Hemlock 

White pine 

do 

do 

do 

Norway pine 

Hemlock 

Hard wood 

White pine 

do 



.do 

.do 

.do 
.do 
.do 



....do 

....do 

do 

....do 

do 

Roth, 1897.... 

do 

do 

do 

Sargent, 1880. 
Andrews, 1896 



-475 

5,000 

1,510 

165 

33, 750 

755 

320 
5,000 
3,000 
6,400 

1, 800 

4,500 

990 

35, 000 

41, 000 

15, 000 
2,300 

11, 700 

16, 000 
8,170 

16, 849 



GANNETT.] 



MERCHANTABLE STANDING TIMBER. 

Estimates of merchantable standing timber — Continued. 



17 



State. 


Species. 


Authority. 


Millions of 
feet B. M. 






Andrews, 1896 . 
do 


3,417 

7,250 

107, 000 

40,000 
5,229 
5,316 
16, 778 
6,615 
18, 885 
2,307 
18, 200 
6,775 
26, 588 
21, 625 
20, 508 
26, 093 
20, 907 
41, 315 
25, 825 
30, 500 

97, 505 






Hard wood, including fire- 
wood. 

White and Norway pine . . 


do 

Smith, 1896.... 
Sargent, 1880.. 
do 




do 




do 


do . 




do 


do 




. ..do 


do 






do 




do 






fin 








. do 




do 






do . . 




do 




do 






do 




do 


State hoard of 

forestry, 1885. 

Tibbetts, 1890 . 


do 





White piue is found in all the New England States and in New York, 
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and West Virginia. 
In southern New England — i. e., Massachusetts, Ehode Island, and 
Connecticut — the original growth has been practically cut away, leaving 
only second-growth pine, little of which is of sufficient size for the mill. 
Of the other States, it will be seen that Professor Sargent makes no 
estimate of the amount in New Hampshire or Vermont. On the basis 
of the figures given by Sargent and quoted above, he estimated that 
in eight years the supply of white pine would be gone. Since then 
eighteen years have elapsed, and the supply of white pine, as indicated 
by its price in the market, has not materially diminished. Although in 
these eighteen years an amount greater than that which Sargent esti- 
mated to be standing in 1880 has been cut, the amount still standing is, 
from all appearances, quite as large as his estimate made in 1880. In 
1S97 Mr. Fernow, of the Department of Agriculture, hazarded a guess 
concerning the amount of pine standing at that time, from which he 
estimated that it would last seven years more. 

In Maine an amount fully equal to the estimated amount given by 
Sargent as standing in 1880 has since been cut, and the annual cut 
shows no appreciable diminution. 
19 geol, pt V 2 



18 FOREST RESERVES. 

While in 1880 Professor Sargeut estimated that there were standing 
in the three States of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota only 84,000 
million feet of white pine, there were cut from these States in the suc- 
ceeding sixteen years not less than 121,000 million feet, and the best 
estimates which we have at present indicate that there still remains at 
least as much in these States as was reported to be standing in 1880. 

A comparison of the estimates of white pine in Minnesota, made, 
respectively, by Sargent, Andrews, and Smith, shows that after sixteen 
years' cutting in the State, Andrews found twice as much white pine in 
1896 as the estimated amount in 1880, while Mr. Smith's estimate, made 
at the same time as General Andrews's, is double that of the latter. 
Owing to the fact that Mr. Smith based his estimate largely upon 
actual cruisings of the pine land, it is altogether probable that his 
estimate is much nearer the truth than the others. 

Opinions of lumbermen differ widely regarding the probable time of 
exhaustion of the white-pine supply, but the consensus of opinion seems 
to be that within twenty-five or thirty years white pine will become so 
scarce as to be no longer a factor of importance in the lumber industry. 
At present the cut shows little diminution, but the fact that lumbermen 
are searching the country for substitutes for white pine is significant. 

The total amount of long-leaved pine in the nine Southern States 
given by Sargent is 118,119 million feet; that of short-leaved pine, 
98,115 million feet; that of loblolly pine, 20,907 million feet; a total of 
the three species of 237,141 million feet. 

The estimates of the redwood of California, as will be seen, differ 
very widely, ranging from 25,825 to 97,505 million feet. This is well 
known to be the densest forest in North America — indeed, in all prob- 
ability, considering the amount of merchantable timber contained 
therein, upon the globe. Single acres have been known to yield a 
million and a half feet of lumber, and single trees to cut as much as 
100,000 feet. 

In the report of the State forestry commission of California, above 
quoted, the area of effective redwood land is given as approximately 
1,000,000 acres. If this statement of area be correct it follows that 
the average amount of redwood timber upon this land, according to 
Sargent's estimate, is about 25,000 feet per acre, and according to the 
estimate of the commission, 30,000 feet per acre. Neither of these is 
a large yield. There are many townships in western Washington and 
Oregon containing far more than thie amount, and yet these forests, 
although dense, are not regarded as extraordinary in this respect. On 
the other hand, accepting the redwood area as above given, the esti- 
mate furnished by Mr. Tibbetts would give nearly 100,000 feet per acre 
as an average. This would indicate a very large product, but in all 
probability it is nearer the truth than the other estimates. 

The work of the last season under this organization has resulted in 
furnishing statistics of standing timber over areas aggregating 181,300 



MERCHANTABLE STANDING TIMBER. 



19 



square miles, which may be enumerated as follows: Washington, 
Oregon, northern Idaho, a portion of the Bitterroot Forest Eeserve in 
Montana, the Teton and a part of the Yellowstone Park forest reserves, 
the Bighorn Forest Reserve of Wyoming, the Black Hills Forest Reserve 
of South Dakota, the San Francisco Forest Reserve of Arizona, and the 
San Jacinto, San Gabriel, and San Bernardino forest reserves of south- 
ern California. The amounts in the several areas are as follows, in mil- 
lions of feet B. M. : 

Standing timber in certain regions of western United States. 



Locality. 



Washington 

Oregon 

Priest River Reserve 

Northern Idaho, excluding Priest River Re- 
serve 

Bitterroot Reserve, Montana portion 

Bighorn Reserve, Wyoming 

Teton Reserve, Wyoming 

Black Hills Reserve, South Dakota 

San Francisco Forest, Arizona 

San Jacinto Reserve, southern California 

San Gabriel Reserve, southern California 

San Bernardino Reserve, southern California.. 



114, 778 

234, 653 

1,904 

1,696 

1,022 

210 

75 

1,502 

8,100 

98 

60 

479 



These will be discussed fully in the following part of this report and 
in the detailed reports of my assistants. 

CONSUMPTION OF TIMBER IN THE UNITED STATES AND 
IN THE CORDILLERAN REGION. 

Statistics of the consumption of timber in the United States have 
been obtained only by the Census Office, the latest being those of 1890. 
The principal items of forest products, as returned by that census, are 
as follows : 

Principal forest products of the United States in 1890. 



Descripti< 



Amount. 



Sawed lumber million feet B. M . 

Logs do... 

Telegraph poles thousands . 

Fence posts do 

Ties do... 

Piles do... 

Shingles do . . . 

Staves do... 

Headings do . . . 

Laths do 



23, 500 

1,445 

117 

4,723 

5,496 

158 

9,275 

1, 178, 552 

182, 700 

2, 263, 300 



$267, 
10, 



000, 000 
500, 000 
200, 000 
400, 000 
600, 000 
300, 000 
000, 000 
800, 000 
900, 000 
500, 000 



20 FOREST RESERVES. 

The above, with the addition of a few other items, give a total value 
of $403,700,000. To this is to be added the item of fuel, of nearly equal 
value. Statistics regarding fuel consumption were collected in 18S0 by 
Prof. C. S. Sargent, in connection with the Tenth Census. His investi- 
gation showed that on an average each inhabitant of the country con- 
sumed approximately 2.8 cords of fuel per annum. Applying this to 
the population of 1890 gives a total consumption of about 180,000,000 
cords. The average value per cord in 1880 was $2.20, which we may 
assume has remained unchanged, thus giving a total value to the annual 
supply of fuel of $396,000,000. This, added to the other items, gives a 
total of about $800,000,000 as the value of the forest product of the 
country, an amount slightly in excess of its mineral production. 

The total amount of sawed lumber consumed in the country was, as 
stated in the table above, 23,500 million feet B. M. The timber to 
supply this demand must fulfill certain conditions of size and quality — 
conditions which differ greatly under present practices in different 
parts of the country. On the Pacific coast the standard for saw tim- 
ber is extremely high. Trees which will not square 12 inches and 
furnish at least two lengths are not at present considered as furnishing 
saw lumber, and the waste from the trees which are cut for lumber 
is enormous. On the other hand, in the eastern lumber regions, and 
even in the Rocky Mountain country, trees which will square as low 
as 6 inches, are being cut for lumber. 

For poles, ties, rails, and other minor uses lumber is cut, and to a 
considerable extent the waste of the saw timber is utilized for certain 
of these purposes. 

But the great item of timber consumption is firewood. The above 
estimate of the annual consumption of firewood, reduced to feet B. M., 
so as to make it comparable with the sawmill consumption, shows that 
we burn for heating and manufacturing purposes not less than 180,000 
million feet B. M., an amount seven times as great as that used in the 
sawmill and four times as great as is used for all other purposes. It 
must be remembered, however, that most of the firewood supply con- 
sists of timber which is not and can not be suitable, in species, size, 
or quality, for the mill. This fact is insured by the relative prices of 
the two qualities, since wood suitable for milling purposes brings a 
much higher price than for firewood. 

The question is immediately raised whether the supply of wood suit- 
able for fuel, and for fuel only, is in excess of the amount suitable for 
the mill proportionally to the relative demand for the two. To that 
the answer may be made in general that it is amply sufficient; that in 
all regions of the country the supply of wood suitable for fuel only is 
in excess of its relative demand. 



CONSUMPTION OF TIMBER. 



21 



CONSUMPTION OF TIMBER IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN AND 
PACIFIC STATES. 

It is of the consumption in the above States that we are especially 
interested in this report. Lumber, being a very bulky product, is sel- 
dom transported far from its region of production. So far as possible 
the supply is obtained from near-by sources. Especially is this true 
where the only transportation available is by rail, the rates for which 
are well-nigh prohibitory to commerce in this commodity. 

The following table summarizes the condition of the lumber industry 
in the Eocky Mountain and Pacific States : 

Condition of the lumber industry in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific States. 
[In millions of feet. B. M.] 



Arizona 

California 

Colorado 

Idaho , 

Montana 

Nevada 

New Mexico... 

Oregon 

South Dakota . 

Utah 

Washington . . . 
Wyoming 



4 
221 
109 
41 
30 



10.8 
519 

79 

18.9 

90 



Total 



1,129 



26 


26.3 


300 


493 


41 


22.8 


30 


14.4 


310 


1,156 


17 


6.3 



2, 436. 5 



252 
2,416 
906 
252 
396 
115 
216 
880 
1,050 
250 
875 
122 



7,730 



262.8 

995 

985 

270.9 

486 

115 

242.3 

373 

072.8 

264.4 

031 

128.3 



It will be seen from the above table that the lumber cut in the Eocky 
Mountain States is small— in some of the States absolutely trifling— 
and that in most of them the consumption of wood is almost entirely 
confined to that used for fuel; indeed, the consumption of lumber in 
the sawmills of all the Eocky Mountain States together is little more 
than half that of California or Oregon, less than a fourth that of 
Washington, and but one-eighth that of the three Pacific States taken 
together. The total cut of lumber for sawmills in the West is but one- 
tenth that of the United States, and is trifling when compared with the 
supply. 



22 



FOREST RESERVES. 



The following table exhibits the growth of the lumber industry in the 
Rocky Mountain and Pacific States between 1870 and 1890, as shown 
by the reports of the Mnth, Tenth, and Eleventh censuses: 

Lumber industry in Rocky Mountain and Pacific States in 1870, 1880, and 1890. 



State or Territory. 


Year. 


Number 
of mills. 


Capital. 


Cost of mate- 
rial. 


Value of 
product. 


Arizona 


1870 


1 


$5, 000 
102, 000 


$1, 600 
132, 000 


$10, 000 
216, 000 




1880 


13 




1890 


4 


213, 000 


127, 000 


249, 000 


California 


1870 


291 


3, 856, 000 


1, 986, 000 


5, 227, 000 




1880 


251 


6, 455, 000 


2, 243, 000 


4, 229, 000 




1890 


221 


15, 834, 000 


4, 356, 000 


8, 454, 000 


Colorado 


1870 


32 


133, 000 


117, 000 
700, 000 


324, 000 
1, 051, 000 




1880 


96 


481, 000 




1890 


109 


839, 000 


610, 000 


1, 172, 000 




1870 
1880 


10 
39 


37, 000 
114, 000 


33, 000 

282, 000 


72, 000 
436, 000 






1890 


46 


370, 000 


217, 000 


452, 000 


Idaho 


1870 


10 


51, 000 
192, 000 


20, 000 
231, 000 


57, 000 




1880 


48 


350, 000 




1890 


41 


420, 000 


187, 000 


430, 000 


Montana 


1870 


31 


146, 000 


172, 000 
278, 000 


431, 000 




1880 


36 


208, 000 


528, 000 




1890 


30 


831, 000 


547, 000 


1, 178, 000 


New Mexico . . 


1870 


12 


47, 000 


40, 000 
117, 000 


121, 000 
174, 000 




1880 


26 


75, 000 




1890 


26 


193, 000 


172, 000 


390, 000 




1870 


165 


913, 000 
1, 578, 000 


358, 000 
1, 331, 000 


1, 014, 000 

2, 030, 000 




1880 


*228 




1890 


300 


7, 543, 000 


2, 979, 000 


5, 995, 000 


Utah , 


1870 


95 


338, 000 


266, 000 


661, 000 




1880 


107 


273, 000 


238, 000 


375, 000 




1890 


30 


197, 000 


127, 000 


235, 000 


Washington 


1870 


46 


1, 285, 000 


580, 000 


1, 307, 000 




1880 


37 


2, 456, 000 


1, 188, 000 


1, 735, 000 




1890 


310 


19, 445, 000 


7, 930, 000 


15, 068, 000 


Wyoming 


1870 


8 


110, 000 


99, 000 


268, 000 
41, 000 




1880 


7 


27, 000 


27, 000 




1890 


17 


160, 000 


52, 000 


125, 000 



FORESTS OF THE WEST. 

The forests of the Rocky Mountain region and the Pacific coast are 
characterized by an almost entire absence of deciduous trees. Indeed, 
almost all tree growth available for lumber is composed of Coniferae, 
consisting of pines, firs, spruces, hemlocks, cedars, and larches. 



qannett.] FORESTS OP THE WEST. 23 

The distribution of tree growth here, as everywhere else, is a func- 
tion of rainfall. Where this is less than a certain amount — say 20 
inches annually — no species of trees can flourish. The species which 
can bear the least rainfall are the piiion pine and the juniper. Where 
the rainfall is greater, other species find it possible to exist. Thus, in 
going from a region of small rainfall toward a region of great rainfall, 
one passes through areas occupied by different species, from the piiion 
and juniper, through quaking aspen, yellow and lodgepole pine, to 
red fir, sprnce, and cedar. Since throughout the Rocky Mountain region 
the rainfall is least in the valleys, and generally at low levels, the forests 
are, except near the Pacific coast, confined almost entirely to the higher 
plateaus and the mountains. 

Thus, a rainfall map is in a general way a forest map; and in the 
Rocky Mountain region, since rainfall is more abundant at the higher 
elevations, a relief map is, in like manner, a forest map. 

Much is known regarding the general distribution of the forests of 
the West, and of the species of timber, largely because the forests 
accompany the rainfall closely, and therefore have a direct relation to 
the relief of the country; and, moreover, because of the numerous 
explorations and surveys which have been carried on in the West under 
the auspices of the General Government. 

The following general description may help the reader to understand 
the forest conditions of this region : 

In South Dakota the forests are confined to the Black Hills, where 
they consist almost entirely of yellow pine. They are mainly open for- 
ests, of no great density, and with little undergrowth. In certain parts, 
and especially toward the south, the timber scatters out greatly, leav- 
ing large open parks. 

In Montana the forests are confined almost entirely to the western 
half of the State, and therein mainly to the mountains. They increase 
in density westward and northward, becoming densest upon the Bitter- 
root Range, the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, and the numer- 
ous ranges lying between them. The timber in this region consists of 
red fir, yellow pine, white pine, and tamarack. Southward from this 
region the character of the forest changes, being composed largely, if 
not mainly, of lodgepole pine. 

In Wyoming the densest forests are found in the western corner, 
including Yellowstone Park and the country east and south thereof. 
The principal forest tree over this region is lodgepole pine, of small 
size and of little economic importance. It is densest within the Yellow- 
stone Park and becomes sparse eastward and southward. The Bighorn 
Mountains are sparsely timbered, bodies of timber alternating with 
open parks, so that not more than half of the plateau-like summit of 
the range is wooded. 

The only other wooded areas in the State are near the southern 
border, where the great Colorado ranges project north of the State 
line, and upon these the timber is small and scanty. 



24 FOREST RESERVES. 

In Colorado timber is confined almost entirely to the high mountains 
and the high plateaus at their western base, the mountain valleys and 
parks being without forests. The timber is nowhere large or dense. It 
consists, in the main, of red fir, yellow pine, Engelmann spruce, and 
lodgepole pine. 

In New Mexico the high mountain ranges and plateaus are timbered, 
but nowhere densely. The principal forests are upon the southern end 
of the San Juan Eauge, where it projects into this Territory, upon the 
Sangre de Cristo Eange, and in the region of high plateaus west of 
the Eio Grande, in Socorro County. The timber consists of Engelmann 
spruce, red fir, and yellow pine. 

In Arizona the principal body of timber is the San Francisco Forest, 
which is described somewhat fully further on in this report. It is an 
open forest of good-sized yellow pine, with little or no underbrush. A 
similar forest is found upon the high plateau on both sides of the Grand 
Canyon of the Colorado. The ranges south of the Colorado Plateau, 
about the heads of the Gila, contain some timber, but none of impor- 
tance. 

In Utah the only timber of consequence is found in the Uinta Eange, 
in the northeast corner of the State. Upon the Wasatch Eange the 
timber is small and scattering. 

In Nevada there is but a trifling amount of timber. The timber belt 
of the Sierra Nevada extends over a small area in the western part, 
while elsewhere the only arborescent growth is near the summits of 
the narrow desert ranges. 

The northern part of Idaho is heavily timbered, as is fully described 
in a paper in this report by Mr. Leiberg. This heavy body of timber 
extends down through the Bitterroot Eeserve and gradually thins out 
south of Salmon Eiver. There is a little timber in the southeastern 
part, but this is not of importance except for local purposes. 

The portion of Washington west of the summit of the Cascade Eange 
was formerly entirely covered with dense forests of great trees — firs, 
spruce, cedar, and hemlock— although a large proportion of it, nearly 
halt; has been destroyed either by cutting or by burning. The eastern 
slope of the Cascades is less heavily timbered, but is not an unimpor- 
tant source of forest products. East of the Cascade Eange and north 
of the Columbia is a region whose forests are only second in density 
to those of western Washington. The timber in this region consists 
mainly of white and yellow pine, with some red fir. 

In Oregon we find much the same sort of distribution as in Wash- 
ington. West of the summit of the Cascade Eange the forests are 
dense and very productive, consisting of the same species as in 
Washington, with the addition in the southern part of a little sugar 
pine and yellow pine. The eastern slope of the Cascade Eange is 
much less heavily forested, although the timber, which here consists 
of yellow pine almost exclusively, extends far out on the plateau. In 



ganhett.] FORESTS OF THE WEST. 25 

the northeastern portion of the State are the Blue Mountains, whose 
forests consist largely of yellow pine, covering enormous areas with a 
rather light growth. 

In California the Coast Ranges, from the Oregon boundary nearly 
down to the Bay of San Francisco, are well forested, mainly with red- 
wood, red fir, and yellow and sugar pine. Into the northern part of this 
area spruce and hemlock extend southward from Oregon. Upon the 
west slope of the Sierra are found, mainly between altitudes of 4,000 
to 8,000 feet, enormous quantities of sugar pine, which here grows to 
great size, yellow pine, and red fir, with occasional groves of Sequoia 
gigantea. In the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto moun- 
tains are small areas forested with yellow pine, among which are inter- 
spersed a few sugar pines. 

MAP SHOWING THE WOODLANDS AND FORESTS OF THE WEST. 

A map (PL II) showing the extent and distribution of woodland in 
the Cordilleran region has been compiled from a variety of sources, as 
follows : 

Manuscript atlas sheets of the United States Geological Survey. 
Wherever the topographic surveys of this organization have been car- 
ried on the woodland has been mapped with as great accuracy as pos- 
sible. These surveys have been extended over an area of 250,000 
square miles in various parts of the West. 

The maps of the Powell Survey, covering the whole of Utah and 
northern Arizona. 

The Hayden Survey. By this organization were mapped the moun- 
tain region of Colorado, the adjacent portions of Utah and New Mex- 
ico, and a large detached area in western Wyoming, southeastern 
Idaho, and northeastern Utah, a total area of about 100,000 square 
miles. 

The Wheeler Survey, which has mapped large areas, mainly in the 
Southwest. 

Cruisings and maps prepared by railroad, wagon road, and lumber 
companies in Oregon and Washington, including the work done by the 
Northern Transcontinental Survey along the Northern Pacific Railroad. 

Reports of the State Forestry Board of California. 

The work of the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture. 

The reports and maps made by the forestry agents of this office dur- 
ing the last season. 

Notes and sketches by J B. Leiberg, W. T. Griswold, myself, and 
others concerning areas heretofore unpublished. 

The colors upon the map indicate the areas occupied by arborescent 
vegetation, but do not include areas covered with brush. 

An attempt has been made to separate those areas which are covered 
with timber suitable for mill purposes, and which may therefore be 
known as merchantable timber, from such as bear timber suitable only 



26 FOREST RESERVES. 

for firewood, rails, and such inferior uses. That such a distinction is 
imperfectly made goes without saying, but it is believed that the result 
is approximately correct. 

FOREST CONDITIONS AND STANDING TIMBER OE WASH- 
INGTON. 

With the exception of the redwoods of California, tbe forests of 
Washington are the densest, heaviest, and most continuous in the 
United States. Except for a few prairie openings, and except where 
removed by fire or the ax, they cover the country as a thick mantle 
from high up on the Cascade Range westward to the shores of the 
Pacific. In all this region only the Olympics rear a few summits 
above the forests. Not only are the forests dense overhead, but the 
undergrowth is dense and tangled beneath. The trees are large, 
reaching 12 to 15 feet in diameter and 250 feet in height, with clear 
trunks for 100 or more feet. The timber is mainly red or yellow fir 
(Psendotsuga taxifolia), mingled with spruce, hemlock, and cedar. 

The amount of standing timber in this region has long been a matter 
of interest, and many wild guesses have been hazarded. As usual iu 
such cases, most of them have been far above the truth. With no 
data on which to base an estimate the tendency is to exaggerate. 

Finding the material ready at hand for obtaining a fairly reliable 
estimate, requiring only the work of bringing it together and digest- 
ing it, I have undertaken this work. 

Statistics derived from cruisings recently made have been obtained 
from all parts of the State, and especially from the heavily timbered 
portion lying west of the Cascade Range. The sources of this infor- 
mation are as follows: 

The Northern Pacific Railroad Company, which has made most elab- 
orate cruisings of that part of its land grant situated west of the Cas- 
cade Range, has with great liberality furnished an abstract of all the 
information in its possession regarding timber lands, including not only 
the statistics of standing timber but maps showing the areas at present 
forested, those naturally unforested, those which have been cut over, 
and those which have been burned. These statistics have been com- 
piled and the maps prepared by Messrs. John M. Rankine and George 
H. Plummer, of the Northern Pacific Railroad office. The commis- 
sioner of the State land office has furnished abstracts of all cruisings 
made for the selection of lands for the State. Besides the above, sev- 
eral lumber companies and owners of timber land have placed their 
information at the disposal of this office. 

Altogether I have collected the cruisings of 1,679,402 acres. Most 
of these are in the portion of the State west of the crest of the Cas- 
cades, although the eastern slope of the mountains is represented to 
some extent, and there is a large area cruised iu Stevens County, in 
the northeastern part of the State. 

From these data, together with the examinations of the Washington 



gannett.] FORESTS OF WASHINGTON. 27 

Beserve, I have estimated the total amount of standing timber in the 
State to be in the neighborhood of 114,778 million feet B. M. Of this 
amount more than six- sevenths, or 104,500 million feet, are west of the 
crest of the Cascades, the remainder, 10,000 million feet, being upon 
its eastern slope and in the northern and eastern portion of the State. 
This total is much less than that estimated for Oregon, a fact which I 
explain by the following considerations: (1) The wooded area is not 
so great, that of Oregon being 54,300 square miles, that of Washington 
47,700 square miles; (2) a considerable part of Washington, in the 
Cascade Eange and the Olympic Mountains, is at a great altitude, upon 
which the timber is very scattering; (3) much of the eastern slope of 
the Cascade Eange, especially in Okanogan County, is covered with a 
very sparse growth of timber, although it appears as timber land; 
(4) the lumber industry in Washington has been, especially in recent 
years, much more important than in Oregon, and consequently a much 
larger area has been cut and burned. 

The distribution of the lumber trees of Washington is simple : West 
of the Cascade Eange the country, with the exception of the high 
mountains, is occupied in the main by four species — red fir (Pseudotsuga 
tawifolia), cedar (Thuja plicata), hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), and 
spruce (Picea sitchensis). The forests west of the higher part of the 
Cascades are composed of 64 per cent of fir, 16 per cent of cedar, 14 
per cent of hemlock, and 6 per cent of spruce. Toward the coast the 
proportions of cedar and spruce increase. 

Upon the mountains the iir disappears, and hemlock and cedar, espe- 
cially the former, increase greatly in proportion. In this region the 
fir is by far the most valuable tree, and, while other species occurring 
with the fir are used, areas which do not contain fir are regarded at 
present as of no value. High up in the mountains only subalpiue species 
occur. East of the mountains the timber consists almost entirely of 
lodgepole and yellow pine, with some white pine in Stevens County, in 
the northeastern part of the State. A little fir also is found at the 
eastern base of the range, scattered through the pine forests. 

The following table gives the estimated amount of merchantable 
timber in each county, in thousands of feet B. M., as at present esti- 
timated by lumbermen. If it were cut under the practice which pre- 
vails at present, these figures represent a close approximation to the 
amount which would be realized. There is no question, however, but 
that, as in the case of the eastern white pine, a much larger amount 
will ultimately be realized, for several reasons : 

First, the standard will certainly be lowered, so that instead of 
utilizing only one-third of the tree two-thirds may be used, and many 
small trees now destroyed by fire in the culled areas will be cut; sec- 
ond, species not now used may come into the market; third, areas 
now considered inaccessible will serve as sources of supply; fourth, 
the new growth on cut and burned areas will reach merchantable size 
long before the old growth is exhausted. 



28 



FOREST RESERVES. 



In illustration of the difference between the supply as viewed by the 
Washington lumbermen and the actual amount, take the figures given 
by Mr. Ayres in his report on the western part of the Washington 
Eeserve. Under Washington practice he found but 400 million feet in 
that area, consisting of red fir. But under the Minnesota practice, and 
estimating the contents of all species without regard to accessibility, 
he found not less than 14,400 million feet. This is, of course, an extreme 
case, but it is probably paralleled throughout the Cascade Range and 
in the Olympics. 

Merchantable timber in the State of Washington, by counties. 



Asotin 

Chehalis . 
Clallam . . . 

Clarke 

Columbia 
Cowlitz . . . 
Douglas . . . 

Ferry 

Garfield . . . 

Island 

Jefferson . 

King 

Kitsap 

Kittitas . . 
Klickitat . 
Lewis 



81 

18, 579 

9,072 

2,342 

243 

5,216 

31 

1667 

170 

430 

4,230 

7,644 

1,141 

1,260 

743 



Lincoln 

Mason 

Okanogan... 

Pacific 

Pierce 

Skagit 

Skamania ... 
Snohomish .. 

Spokane 

Stevens 

Thurston • 

Wahkiakum . 
Wallawalla . 
Whatcom ... 
Whitman ... 
Yakima 



14 

2,091 

2,665 

7,813 

6,520 

10, 362 

4,661 

7,709 

766 

2,702 

2,787 

2,974 

5 

1,346 

35 

893 



a The counties omitted contain no merchantable timber. 

The counties lying between the crest of the Cascade Range and the 
Pacific coast have been examined with greater thoroughness than 
those in the eastern part of the State, and can be described more fully. 
The cruisings, however, which have been obtained relate only to the 
portions of the counties occupied by fir timber, other portions being 
regarded by the cruisers, as stated above, as having no present value 
for lumber purposes ; hence the following facts and figures relate only 
to the portion of the State lying west of the crest of the Cascade Range, 
and ignore all the timber in the higher portions of the Cascade Range 
and the Olympic Mountains ; to that extent the presentations concern- 
ing the counties of Clallam, Jefferson, Chehalis, Whatcom, Skagit, 
Snohomish, King, Pierce, Lewis, Cowlitz, and Skamania are incom- 
plete in this regard. As viewed by the lumbermen's practice in 
western Washington at the present time, the tables accompanying the 
following county descriptions give the amount of timber of each of 



oanjtbit.] FORESTS OF WASHINGTON. 29 

the four species represented, with the total stumpage of the county, 
the areas of merchantable timber, those cut and burned, and those 
naturally devoid of timber. 

CHEHALIS COUNTY. 

This county borders upon the Pacific coast, and on the north extends 
far up into the Olympic Mountains. The northern portion of the county 
is so high and rugged as to contain little or no merchantable timber, 
and in other portions of the county are numerous small prairie tracts. 
Aside from these areas the county was originally heavily forested, 
mainly with fir in the interior and with spruce and cedar upon the 
coast. There have been few fires in this county, and the burned area 
is trifling. Lumbering has, however, been carried on extensively upon 
the streams flowing into Grays Harbor, and especially upon Chehalis 
River, nearly one- tenth of the timbered area of the county having been 
denuded of its forests. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Chehalis County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area 2,104 

Merchantable timber area 1, 360 

Logged area 130 

Naturally bare area 47 

Burned area 36 

Estimate of timber in Chehalis County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 9,799,418 

Spruce 3,068,307 

Cedar 3,474,350 

Hemlock 2,236,983 

Total 18,579,058 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 21, 300 

CLALLAM COUNTY. 

This county occupies the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula. 
The southern portion of the county comprises a part of the Olympic 
Mountains, and is not regarded as containing any timber of present 
merchantable value. The remainder of the county was heavily forested, 
but the ax has made inroads in these forests along the shores of Puget 
Sound as far west as Crescent Bay, and fires have extended inland from 
these cuttings to the mountains, destroying considerable areas of tim- 
ber. The western part of the county is still an unbroken forest. 

The forests of this county are remarkable in the fact that they con- 
tain a large proportion of hemlock, the amount of this tree being 
larger than that of the red fir. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Clallam County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area 1,824 

Merchantable timber area 900 

Logged area 117 

Burned area 151 



30 FOREST RESERVES. 

Estimate of timber in Clallam County, Washington. 

MfeetB.M. 

Fir 3,045,297 

Spruce 1,758,845 

Cedar 547,617 

Hemlock 3,719,840 

Total 9,071,599 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 15, 700 

CLARKE COUNTY. 

This county lies in the southwestern part of the State, bordering on 
the south and west upon Columbia Eiver. Originally it was entirely 
covered with heavy forests with the exception of a few small prairie 
tracts. 

But little timber has been cut in the county, lumbering being princi- 
pally confined to the line of the Portland, Vancouver and Northern 
Railroad, and, on the other hand, the timber upon two-thirds of the 
county has been destroyed by fire, the burned areas lying principally 
in the south and west parts of the county, leaving large bodies of for- 
est in the eastern part. 

The forest consists almost exclusively of fir, there being very little 
cedar and hemlock and no spruce whatever. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Clarice County, Washington. 

Sg. miles. 

Total area 648 

Merchantable timber area - 192 

Logged area 25 

Naturally bare area 10 

Burned area 421 

Estimate of Umber in Clarice County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 2,124,126 

Cedar 132,700 

Hemlock '. 84,860 

Total 2,341,686 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 19, 000 

COWLITZ COUNTY. 

This county lies in the southern part of the area, being limited on 
the south by Lewis and Columbia rivers. The eastern portion of the 
county comprises the westward slopes of Mount St. Helens, and includes 
a considerable area the timber on which is not regarded as merchant- 
able. Aside from this and a few areas of prairie the county was origi- 
nally covered with fine, merchantable forests. Fires have, however, 
been extremely disastrous in this county, destroying the timber on 
large areas, particularly in the eastern and southern parts of the county. 



GANNETT. 



FORESTS OP WASHINGTON. 31 



•Lumbering has been carried on along the Columbia and Cowlitz rivers, 
and considerable areas have thus been denuded; but this bears little 
comparison to the areas denuded by fire, which comprise fully one-half 
of the portion originally covered by merchantable forests. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Cowlitz County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area X > 124 

Merchantable timber area 400 

Logged area °° 

Naturally bare area DO 

Burned area ™° 

Estimate of timber in Cowlitz Comity, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 3,932,591 

Spruce i' 089 

Cedar 627,571 

Hemlock - 655,184 

Total : 5,216,435 . 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 20, 400 

ISLAND COUNTY. 

This comprises a group of islands in the northern part of Puget 
Sound, including Whidby and Camano islands. These islands origi- 
nally were entirely covered with fir forests, but have been almost com- 
pletely denuded by the ax. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Island County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area, all logged 220 

Estimate of Umber in Island County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Flr 250,000 

Cedar.;'.;"""....".."-!"." 180,000 

Total 430,000 

The above timber is reported as still standing upon culled land. 

JEFFERSON COUNTY. 

This county lies upon the Olympic Peninsula, stretching from Hood 
Canal, upon the east, to the Pacific coast. The central portion of the 
county, comprising three-fourths of it, lies within the Olympic Moun- 
tains, and contains no timber of present value for milling purposes. 
Elsewhere the county was formerly heavily forested, on the east with 
fir, on the west mainly with cedar and spruce. The timber of the east- 
ern portion has been in the main destroyed either by the ax or by fire, 
mainly by the latter. The timber in the western portion of the county 
is as yet untouched either by fire or by the ax. 



32 FOREST RESERVES. 

The forests of this county are remarkable because of the large pro- 
portion of cedar therein, more than half the forest being of this species, 
while of fir, elsewhere the most abundant species, there is compara- 
tively little. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Jefferson County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area 1.688 

Merchantable timber area 430 

Logged area 96 

Naturally bare area 100 

Burned area 115 

Estimate of Umber in Jefferson County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 794,232 

Spruce 267,427 

Cedar 2,124,725 

Hemlock 1,043,776 

Total 4,230,160 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 15, 300 

KING COUNTY. 

This county is in the middle of the State north and south, and 
extends from the crest of the Cascade Range westward to the shores 
of Puget Sound. Much of the eastern part of the county lies high up 
in the Cascade Range, and contains little timber of present merchant- 
able value. Aside from this and a few trifling areas of prairie, the 
county was originally heavily forested, but the forests have been largely 
removed by fire or the ax. The latter has taken the timber from Vashon 
and Maury islands, from the shores of Puget Sound, and of lakes 
Washington and Sammamish. and from a broad belt along the line of 
the Northern Pacific Railroad, together with other smaller areas in the 
interior of the county. Fires have done a vast amount of damage in 
various parts of the county, mainly in its central portion, although the 
mountainous regions have not been neglected by it. Indeed, fully one- 
half of the area formerly covered with merchantable timber has been 
devastated by fire. 

Area of timbered and other lands in King County, Washington. 

Sq. milea. 

Total area - 1,944 

Merchantable timber area 580 

Logged area 350 

Naturally bare area 10 

Burned area 520 



gannett] FORESTS OF WASHINGTON. 33 

Estimate of timber in King County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 5,251,781 

Spruce 49,248 

Cedar 1,252,318 

Hemlock 1,090,496 

Total 7,643 846 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 20, 500 

KITSAP COUNTY. 

This occupies the northern part of the peninsula separating Hood 
Canal from Puget Sound. It was originally entirely covered with heavy 
fir forests. These have been removed almost entirely by the ax from 
the shores and the islands bordering them. Only a trifling area in the 
southern portion of the county has been burned, while nearly half the 
area has been logged. The standing timber consists entirely of fir. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Kitsap County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area 392 

Merchantable timber area 200 

Logged area 170 

Burned area 22 

Estimate of timber in Kitsap County, Washington. 

M feet B. IT. 

Fir 1,140,900 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 9. 000 

LEWIS COUNTY. 

This is situated in the southwestern part of the State, and extends 
from the crest of the Cascade Eange on the east to the Coast Ranges on 
the west, including the valley of Cowlitz River. A considerable por- 
tion of its area, therefore, is included within the Cascade Range, where 
the timber is not regarded as of present merchantable value. There 
are many prairies scattered over its surface, which further reduce the 
original area of merchantable timber. 

The timber upon more than one-third of the area of this county has 
been burned, the burned areas lying mainly in the eastern half of the 
county, though they are not by any means confined to this part. The 
cutting of timber has been carried on mainly in the neighborhood of 
the Northern Pacific Railroad, which traverses the county from north 
to south. 

19 geol, pt 5 3 



34 FOREST RESERVES. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Lewis County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area .- - 2,308 

Merchantable timber area 815 

Logged area 71 

Naturally bare area 60 

Burned area 820 

Estimate of timber in Lewis County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir - - - ■ 7, 236, 170 

Spruce 1,311 

Cedar 883,627 

Hemlock 465, 154 

Total -■- 8,586,262 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 16, 500 

MASON COUNTY. 

This county includes the southeastern part of the Olympic Mountains 
and much of the country bordering Hood Canal. The portion within 
the Olympic Mountains is not regarded as containing timber of mer- 
chantable value. Elsewhere, however, with the exception of a few 
small prairie tracts, it was originally heavily timbered. Fires have 
done little damage, but timber cutting has been extensive. The forests 
have been removed from the shores of Hood Canal and other inlets 
from Puget Sound, as well as from much of the interior of the county; 
indeed, it appears that nearly two-fifths of the area has been logged. 

The forest consists almost entirely of fir, the amounts of other species 
being trifling. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Mason County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area ....996 

Merchantable timber area 575 

Logged area 220 

Naturally bare area 6 

Burued area 12 

Estimate of timber in Mason County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir - 2,055,648 

Spruce 492 

Cedar , 25,970 

Hemlock - 8,955 

Total - 2,091,065 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 5, 600 

PACIFIC COUNTY. 

This is the southwestenmiost county of the State, bordering upon 
the Pacific and Columbia River. Its surface in the interior is some- 
what broken by the Coast Eauges, although the relief is nowhere great. 
It is drained by Willapa and Nasel rivers. 



cajtoett.] FORESTS OF WASHINGTON. 35 

Originally the entire surface, with the exception of a few sandy tracts 
near the coast, was covered with fine forests, composed almost entirely 
of fir in the interior, and of cedar and spruce near the coast. 

Logging has been carried on along the two rivers above mentioned, 
and to some extent immediately on the coast. Altogether only an area 
of 42 square miles has been logged. 

Fires have not been especially prevalent or destructive in this county, 
having destroyed the timber upon an area of only 59 square miles. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Pacific County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area 896 

Merchantable timber area 747 

Logged area 42 

Naturally bare area 12 

Burned area 59 

• Estimate of timber in Pacific County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 5,498,224 

Spruce '. 814, 953 

Cedar 713, 238 

Hemlock 786,652 

Total 7, 813, 067 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 16, 300 

PIERCE COUNTY. 

This, one of the central counties of the region, extends from the crest 
of the Cascade Eange westward to Puget Sound, and includes several 
islands in the sound. In the east it includes Mount Eainier, with an 
altitude exceeding 14,500 feet, from whose summit radiate great areas 
of snow and ice. A large area in the eastern part of this county con- 
tains no timber of merchantable value at present. A considerable area 
has been logged, including nearly all of the islands, large tracts around 
the city of Tacoma, and others along White and Puyallup rivers. 

This county has been singularly free from fires, only a trifling area 
having as yet been burned. There are, however, large tracts, covering 
many scores of square miles south of the city of Tacoma, which are 
naturally timberless. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Pierce County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area I, 376 

Merchantable timber area 563 

Logged area 200 

Naturally bare area 148 

Burned area 62 



36 FOREST RESERVES. 

Estimate of timber in Pierce County, Washington. 

M feet B. II. 

Fir 4,778,091 

Spruce 56,075 

Cedar 618,012 

Hemlock 1,067,953 

Total 6,520,131 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 18, 000 

SAN JUAN COUNTY. 

This, one of the northwestern counties of the State, is composed 
entirely of islands in Puget Sound, the principal of which are San 
Juan, Orcas, Lopez, Blakely, Shaw, and Waldron. 

All these islands were originally covered with a heavy forest, com- 
posed of red fir almost exclusively", but, being easily accessible, the 
entire area, 600 square miles, has been logged. 

SKAGIT COUNTY. 

This is in the northwestern portion of the State, and extends from the 
crest of the Cascade Range to Puget Sound, including a number of 
islands in the sound. The eastern portion, including much more than 
half the county, being mountainous, is not regarded as containing mer- 
chantable timber. The western portion, comprising perhaps one-third 
of the county, was formerly entirely forested, with the exception of a 
considerable tract of prairie about the mouth of Skagit River. 

There have been no tires of magnitude within the county, but logging 
has been extensively carried on. The islands have been cleared entirely 
and the lands in the neighborhood of the coast and the immediate val- 
ley of Skagit River have been cleared as far up as the mouth of the 
Sauk. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Skagit County. Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area '. 1.960 

Merchantable timber area _ 575 

Logged area 196' 

Naturally bare area 90 

Burned area .. . 12 

Estimate of timber in Skagit County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 5. 841, 229 

Spruce 184,096 

Cedar 2,517,693 

Hemlock 1,819,404 

Total 10.362,422 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 28, 000 



FORESTS OF WASHINGTON. 37 



SKAMANIA COUNTY. 

This county is in the southern portion of the State, bordering on 
Columbia Eiver, and extending thence northward well into the Cascade 
Range. In the northwestern portion of the county is the extinct vol- 
cano of St. Helens, while well into the northeast extend the western 
spurs of Mount Adams. The northern portion of the county is there- 
fore extremely rugged, mountainous, and elevated, and the spurs from 
these mountains extend southward nearly to Columbia River. 

The northern half of the county is not regarded by lumbermen as con- 
taining any accessible merchantable timber, although with exception 
of the summits of the highest mountains, which are above timber line, 
it was formerly wooded. The southern half was at one time timbered 
quite heavily, especially toward the west. In recent years, however, 
fires have destroyed the timber in more than half the area of the county. 
These fires have invaded the eastern and western portions, leaving 
between them a narrow belt of forests, together with a broad strip along 
Columbia River; indeed, the timber upon more than half the area of 
the county has been thus destroyed. 

But little of the timber of this county has been cut. Logging opera- 
tions extend along Columbia River across the county, reaching perhaps 
a mile back from the river and up a few of the streams flowing into it. 

The forests of this county consist mainly of fir and almost entirely of 
this species and hemlock. The amount of cedar is trifling and there is 
no spruce in the county. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Skamania County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area 1 636 

Merchantable timber area 430 

Logged area 57 

Timberless area 58 

Burned area 926 

Estimate of timber in Skamania County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 3,675,960 

Cedar 21, 411 

Hemlock 963,759 

Total 4,661,130 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 17, 000 

SNOHOMISH COUNTY. 

This county extends from the crest of the Cascade Range to Tuget 
Sound. The eastern part is composed of high and rugged mountains, 
and contains little, if any, merchantable timber. The western half 
was originally forested, with the exception of a few tracts of prairie. 



38 FOREST RESERVES. 

Logging has, however, been carried on extensively in this county, two- 
fifths of the area formerly timbered having been stripped by the ax. 
Burns have not been extensive or destructive. 

The forest consists of fir and cedar, the amount of hemlock being 
trifling, with no spruce whatever. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Snohomish County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area 1,720 

Merchantable timber area - 634 

Logged area • 280 

Naturally "bare area 24 

Burned area 40 

Estimate of timber in Snohomish County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 5,244,741 

Cedar 2,379,888 

Hemlock - 84, 141 

Total 7,708,770 

Average per acre, in feet B.M 19, 000 

THURSTON COUNTY. 

This county lies in the central part of the area here under descrip- 
tion, bordering on the north upon Puget Sound. Its area was, with the 
exception of numerous prairie tracts, originally covered entirely with 
fine forests, mainly of fir. At present all the forests in the neighbor- 
hood of Puget Sound have been cut away. Fires have not been preva- 
lent and but little timber has been destroyed by this means. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Thurston County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area - 7G8 

Merchantable timber area 380 

Logged area 147 

Naturally bare area - 100 

Burned area 56 

Estimate of Umber in Thurston County, Washington. 

M feet B. 11. 

Fir - 2,608,125 

Spruce 462 

Cedar 108,949 

Hemlock 69,807 

Total - 2,787,343 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 11, 450 

WAHKIAKUM COUNTY. 

This county lies in the southwestern part of the State, bordering on 
Columbia River. With the exception of certain islands in the Colum- 
bia and small tracts about the mouths of certain tributary streams, 



gannett.] . FORESTS OF WASHINGTON. 39 

the entire area was heavily forested. Lumbering has been carried on 
along the shores of the Columbia and on Grays and Deep rivers. Fires 
also have been somewhat prevalent in the county, but more than two- 
thirds of the area of the county is still covered by flue forests. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Wahkiakum County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area 244 

Merchantable timber area. . .' 172 

Logged area 40 

Burned area 32 

Estimate of timber in Wahkiakum County, Washington. 

M feet B. M. 

Fir 1,947,150 

Spruce 182, 520 

Cedar 301, 757 

Hemlock , 542, 680 

Total 2,974,107 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 27, 000 

WHATCOM COUNTY. 

This is the most northern county of the State west of the Cascade 
Range. It extends from the summit of the range west to the shores of 
Puget Sound. In the eastern half of the county are found Mounts 
Baker and Shuiksan, two great extinct volcanoes, rising high above 
timber line. This eastern mountainous half of the county is not re- 
garded as containing any timber of present merchantable value. The 
western half was originally very heavily timbered. Its forests were 
probably as dense as in any other county in the State, but they have 
been almost entirely destroyed by fire. Certain areas along the coast, 
on Nooksook Eiver and on the Belliugham Bay and British Columbia 
Railroad, have been logged, but the amount of timber thus utilized is 
small as compared with that destroyed by fire. To illustrate the extent 
of this devastation, it may be stated that out of a timbered area of 780 
square miles not less than 530 square miles have been burned; 164 
square miles have been logged, and only 86 square miles of timber of 
present merchantable value are to be found in the county. 

The forest consists almost entirely of fir and cedar, the amounts of 
hemlock and spruce being trifling. 

Area of timbered and other lands in Whatcom County, Washington. 

Sq. miles. 

Total area 2,468 

Merchantable timber area 86 

Logged area _ 164 

Naturally bare area 100 

Burned area 530 



40 FOREST RESERVES. 

Estimate of timber in Whatcom County, Washington. 

MfeetB.M. 

Fir 985,175 

Spruce 18,580 

Cedar 282,450 

Hemlock - 60,190 

Total r 1,346,395 

Average per acre of timbered land, in feet B. M 24, 000 



RESUME. 

The totals from the figures given above are as follows : The entire 
area of the nineteen counties above described is 24,906 square miles. 
Of this area but little more than one-third, or 9,039 square miles, is 
regarded as containing merchantable timber. Besides this an area of 
3,205 square miles has already been logged; a much greater area, 3,614 
square miles of merchantable timber, has been burned, besides an 
area of 700 square miles in the mountains not containing merchantable 
timber. In other words, out of an area of 15,858 square miles formerly- 
covered with merchantable timber, 20 per cent, or one-fifth, has been 
destroyed by fire; 22^ per cent has been cut; and the remainder, 57i 
per cent, is still covered with standing timber. In this entire area 
there are only 833 square miles which are naturally timberless. 

Upon the timbered area there is estimated to be standing 103,503,576 
thousand feet B. M., which in itself is sufficient to supply the sawmills 
of the United States for four years, under the present rate of cutting. 

The amounts of each of the four species composing this total are as 
follows : 

Summary of timber in western Washington. 



Species. 


M feet B. M. 


Per cent 
of total. 


Fir 


66, 208, 861 
16, 192, 276 
14, 699, 759 
6, 402, 605 


64 
16 
14 
6 


Cedar 

Hemlock 





If we assume that the logged area contained on au average the same 
amount of timber per acre as is still standing in other areas, it appears 
that since lumbering began in this region there have been cut from it 
36,000,000 thousand feet B. M. 

If we make the same assumption regarding the burned area, it appears 
that there have been destroyed by fire, without the least benefit to the 
world, the enormous amount of 40,000.000 thousand feet B. M. of lumber. 
Anyone who has passed the late summer and early fall in this State 



U.S.GEOLOGICAL St 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL. I 



103" 101° 



¥¥51 



WW£! 1 *£> ' £^ S aS 



US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PARTV PL. 




NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PART V. PL. II 



I S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 




\^%\ Z*9'£fc1 CtS 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PART V. PL. 



. 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL I 








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SHOEING CLASSIFICATION OF LANDS 






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PRELIMINARY MAPOFWKSTERN OREGON SDOWLNG 111! DENSITY OF MK1H ll\NT\iM K riMHKII. EIFRESSKD W FEET, » M 



U.S-GEOLOGI CAU SURVEY 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PART V. PL V 




UM)ER1% 1 TO 10 % 10T025°'' o 25T0 50% 5OT075°ii 75T0100% 

MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF RED FIR 
EXPRESSED m PERCENTAGES OF TOTAL FOREST IN WE STERN WASHINGTON. 

SCALE 
25 25 50 75 100 SOLES 



U.S. GEO LOGICAL SURVEY. 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PART V. PL. VI 




Rl% ITOIOVo 10T0 25% 25 TO 50% 50X0 75% OVER 75% 

MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF HEMLOCK 
EXPRESSED IN PERCENTAGES OF TOTAL FOREST IN WE STERN WASHINGTON. 

SCALE 
-25 25 50 75 100 MILES 



U.S. CEO LOGICAL SURVEY. 



IN ETEENTH ANNUAL R EPORT PART V. PL. VII 




Rl°'o lTO10% lOTO 25% 25TOSO% 5OT075°o OVER.75% 

MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF CEDAR 
EXPRESSED IX PERCENTAGES OF TOTAL FOREST IN WESTERN WASHINGTON. 

SCALE 



U.S.jGEOLOG ICAL SURVEY. 



N ETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL VIII. 




UNDERl<Vo 1TO10l°/ o lOT025 t> ''o 25TO50% 50T075°'c. OVER 

MAP SHOEING THE DISTRIBUTION OF SPRC'CE 
EXPRESSED IN PERCENTAGES OF TOTAL FOREST TN WESTERN WASHINGTON. 

SCALE ..„„ 



■■ ■ 




MAP OK WESTERN WASHINGTON SHOWING DENSITY OF MERCHANTABLE TIMBER 



.„«!»»»'.> 



<9P i*'3- 62. IYT] 



Gannett.] FORESTS OF WASHINGTON. 41 

realizes the ernormous destructiou which takes place annually at this 
season. There are fires everywhere, and the smoke from them lies as 
dense as the fog on the New England coast for weeks at a time. 

These are impressive facts. In less than a generation more than 
two-fifths of the timber has been destroyed iu one of the richest timber 
regions on this continent, and of that destruction more than half has 
been caused by fire. Nearly two years' supply of lumber for the United 
States has thus been destroyed. Assuming that the timber thus 
destroyed would, if standing now, have a value of 75 cents per thou- 
sand feet, it appears that not less than $30,000,000 worth has thus gone 
up in smoke — a dead loss to the people of the State. 

The distribution of the different species recognized as lumber in 
Washington is represented on Pis. V-VIII, and is seen to follow a few 
definite and simple laws. The tints represent the proportion which 
each species bears to the entire forest, using the township as a unit. 
The map (PI. V) showing the distribution of red fir shows that upon the 
west shores of Puget Sound the forest is practically pure fir, and that 
southward as far as Columbia River, throughout the valley of the eastern 
slope of the Cascade Eange, more than three-fourths of the forest is 
composed of this species. The proportion diminishes as the Pacific 
coast is approached, and upon the coast, extending from 10 to 25 miles 
inland, there is practically no red fir to be found. On the east coast 
of Puget Sound and southward, between one-half and three-fourths of 
the forest is composed of fir. The proportion increases somewhat as 
we recede from the sound, but at an altitude of about 3,000 feet in the 
Cascade Range the fir suddenly disappears. 

The distribution of spruce is expressed on the map (PI. Till) in a simi- 
lar manner, and is equally characteristic. There is practically no spruce 
on the Cascade Range or on the eastern slopes of the Coast Ranges. It 
is most abundant immediately upou the Pacific coast, and diminishes 
thence inland. 

Of cedar (PI. VII) there is scarcely any to be found upon the islands 
and upon the west coast of Puget Sound, and but very little in the valley 
to the southward. It increases westward toward the coast and reaches 
a maximum immediately on the coast. The east coast of Puget Sound 
contains a large proportion of cedar, ranging from one-fourth to one- 
half of the forests, and that proportion diminishes as we ascend the 
Cascade Range. 

Hemlock (PI. VI) is almost entirely wanting upon both shores of 
Puget Sound and iu the valley to the south. It increases westward and 
forms quite a noticeable proportion of the forests in the Coast Ranges 
and m the northwestern part of the Olympic Peninsula. It increases 
also as we ascend the Cascade Range, its habitat extending nearly to 
timber line. 



42 



FOREST RESERVES. 
Average stand of timber per acre on timbered areas. 



County. 



Chehalis 
Clallam . 
Clarke . . 
Cowlitz . 
Jeft'erson 
King.... 
Kitsap . . 
Lewis. .. 
Mason . . 



FeetB. M. 



21, 300 
15, 700 

19, 000 

20, 400 

15, 300 
20, 500 

9,000 

16, 500 
5,600 



County. 



Pacific 

Pierce 

Skagit ..' 

Skamania . . 
Snohomish . 
Thurston .. 
AVahkiaknm 
Whatcom . . 



Feet B. M. 



16, 300 

18, 000 
28, 000 

17, 000 

19, 000 
11, 450 
27, 000 
24, 000 



The stand is heaviest in Skagit County, near the northern boundary. 
The next heaviest is Wahkiakum, in the southwest, near Columbia 
Eiver. 



FOREST CONDITIONS AND STANDING TIMBER OF OREGON. 

In order to obtain an idea of the amount of standing timber in the 
State, timber cruisings have been collected. The Oregon and California 
Railroad, now a part of the Southern Pacific, has a land grant extend- 
ing along the whole line of its road from Columbia Eiver to the Cali- 
fornia boundary, with a width upon each side of the road of 30 miles, 
including indemnity strips. Throughout this area the road received 
alternate sections of land, excepting such areas as had been alienated 
prior to the grant. The timber upon these lands has been examined 
by cruisers, and as the value of the land is determined by the amount 
of timber upon it, this was done with considerable care. Through 
the courtesy of the land agent, Mr. George H. Andrews, all this informa- 
tion in condensed form has been furnished to this office. The following 
data were obtained : In each township the amount of timbered and non- 
timbered land, and upon the timbered portion the amount of timber, 
expressed in feet B. M., distinguished according to the species of timber 
recognized by the cruisers. In this case the cruisers distinguish the 
following species: Fir, hemlock, cedar, sugar pine, yellow pine, noble 
fir, and spruce. 

The following is a summary of the cruisings by this corporation : 

Summary of cruisings by the Oregon and California Railroad Company in its land grant. 

Acres. 

Total area examined 1, "112, 071 

Timbered area 808, 003 

Sparsely or not at all timbered 634, 068 



GANNETT] 

Summary of cr 



FORESTS OF OREGON. 43 

by the Oregon and California Railroad Company — Continued 



Variety. 



Fir 

Hemlock ... 

Cedar 

Sugar pine . 
Yellow pine 
Noble fir . . . 
Spruce 

Total 



M feet B. M. 



Per cent of 
all. 



10, 356, 430 
761, 461 
213 224 
325, 951 
1, 044, 050 
58, 441 
31, 224 



12, 790, 781 



These cruisings are scattered widely over the eastern portion of the 
coast ranges, the depression between the two ranges, which includes 
the Willamette, Umpqua, and Eogue valleys, and the eastern slope of 
the Cascade Eange, and as they are in no way selected areas, but con- 
sist of alternate sections, without regard to the quality or density of 
the timber, they furnish an excellent representative of the distribution 
of the timber as to density and species over much of the timbered 
portion of Oregon. 

Similar statistics were obtained from the Willamette Valley and 
Cascade Eauge Wagon Eoad Company from cruisings of its land grant, 
which consists of alternate sections for 6 miles on each side of the road. 
The total area of timber land cruised in this grant is 14S,4S0 acres. 
The species distinguished, with the amounts of each and the total 
amount of timber upon the grant, are as follows : 

Summary of cruisings by the Willamette Valley and Cascade Wagon Boad Company in its 
land grant. 



Variety. 


M feet B. M. 


Per cent 
of all. 


Fir 


1, 988, 287 
34, 978 
150, 341 
66, 535 
87, 893 


85 

1 
7 

3 

4 


Cedar 






Total 


2, 328, 034 


100 





From Mr. W. S. Kinney, a prominent lumberman of Astoria, Oregon, 
I have received cruisings which he has had made of the northern half of 
Clatsop County. These cruisings do not distinguish among the different 
species of timber, but they show, upon an area ol 208,000 acres, a total 
of 2,892 million feet of saw timber. 

Mr. J. B. Leiberg, of this office, has made a thorough examination of 
an area of yellow-pine land situated east of the Cascade Eange, upon 



44 



FOREST RESERVES. 



the Paulina Mountains and the adjacent plateau at the head of Des- 
chutes Biver, which, for an area of 500 square miles, he estimates at an 
average of 5,000 feet per acre. 

The above figures summarize the extent of definite information which 
we have concerning the density of the forests. Although in the aggre- 
gate the area included iu these cruisings.is small as compared with 
the total wooded area of the State, yet they are scattered so widely that 
the entire western portion is sampled quite thoroughly, and from them 
a tolerably correct idea may be obtained of the density of the forests 
in the most important timber portions of the State — i. e., the Cascade 
and Coast ranges. 

These figures indicate for the Coast Ranges and the timbered portions 
of the west side of the valley an average of 16,000 feet B. M. per acre; 
for the western slope of the Cascades and the eastern part of the valley 
an average of 14,000 feet per acre; for the eastern slope of the Cascades 
the average is about 0,000 feet. In the eastern portion of the State 
no data have been obtained, but from impressions of those who have 
traveled through the forests of the Blue Mountains and other ranges it 
is believed that they will average not far from 1,500 feet per acre. 
From these data the following table has been prepared, showing the 
amount of timber in these different sections of the State and in the 
entire State: 

Estimated amount of timber in Oregon, by sections of the State. 





Stand per 
acre. 


Timbered 

area 

(square 

miles). 


Amount of 

timber 

(million 

feet B.M.). 




16, 000 
14, 000 
6,000 
1,500 


10, 000 
9,900 
7,100 

18, 441 


102, 108 
87, 083 
27, 534 
17, 928 


West slope Cascade Range 

East slope Cascade Range 


Total 






234, 653 









The following table gives estimates by counties : 

Estimated amount of timber in Oregon, by counties. 



County. 



Area 
(square 



Timbered 

area 

(square 

miles). 



Average tim- 
ber contents 
(feet B. M. 
per acre) . 



Total amount 
timber (mil- 
lion feet 
B. M.). 



Baker ..... 
Benton 

Clackamas 
Clatsop . . . 



2,160 



1,836 
815 



1,200 
180 

1,330 
651 



1,500 
15, 000 
15, 700 
36, 800 



1,200 
1,728 
13, 338 
15, 476 



gannett.] FORESTS OF OREGON. 

Estimated amount of timber in Oregon, by counties — Continued. 



45 



County. 



Columbia 

Coos 

Crook 

Curry 

Douglas 

Gilliam 

Grant 

Harney 

Jackson 

Josephine ... 
Klamatli 

Lake 

Lane 

Lincoln 

Linn 

Malheur 

Marion 

Morrow 

Multnomah . 

Polk 

Sherman 

Tillamook.. . 

Umatilla 

Union 

Wallowa 

Washington . 

Wasco 

Yamhill 



Total 



Area 
(square 
miles). 



693 
1,620 
8,352 
1,440 
4,752 
1,728 
5,436 
9,482 
2,376 
1,764 
6,200 
8,000 
4,356 
1,000 
2,268 
9,828 
1,224 
2,070 
440 
684 



1.116 

2,968 
3,312 

2,808 
684 

3,200 
720 



Timbered 

area 

(square 

miles). 



552 
1,295 
3,750 
1,080 
3, 600 

400 
4,700 
1,150 
1,620 
1,514 
3,420 
2,000 
3,420 

612 
1,620 
1,000 

576 

470 
96 

400 
(a) 

864 
1,300 
2,200 
2,808 

350 
1,116 

167 



Average tim- 
ber contents 

(feet B. M. 

per acre) . 



27, 700 
15, 600 
3,200 
11, 400 
10,400 
1,500 
1, 500 
1, 500 
11, 600 
6,000 
6,300 
1,500 
13, 000 
25, 000 
17, 600 
1,500 
12, 600 
1,500 
21, 000 
13, 000 



Total amount 

timber (mil- 

lion feet 

B. II.). 



26, 000 
1,500 
1,500 
1,500 
20. 000 
10, 000 
11, 400 



9,683 

12, 926 

7,300 

8,000 

23, 854 

400 

4, 700 

1,150 

12, 000 
5,800 

13, 834 
2,000 

28, 800 
9,800 

18, 300 
1,000 
4,645 
470 
1,300 
3,328 



14, 490 
1,300 
2,200 
2,808 
4,500 
7,100 
1,223 



234, 653 



Iu western Oregon the merchantable timber consists of much the 
same species as in Washington, viz, the Douglas or red fir (Pseudo- 
tsuga taxifolia), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), cedar {Thuja plicata), 
and hemlock (Tsuga merteusiana). Besides these there are fouud in 
the southwestern part of the State sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), 
noble fir (Abies nobilis), and yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa). 

As is seen 'from the crnisings, a vast majority of all the timber in this 
part of the State consists of red fir. Cedar and hemlock are compara- 
tively unimportant and spruce is not represented in the cruisings, 
although it is known to be abundant along the coast where these crnis- 



46 FOREST RESERVES. 

ings do not extend. Sugar pine, noble fir, and yellow pine form but 
a trilling proportion of the lumber of this part of the State. 

Pis. X-XIII show the distribution of fir, hemlock, cedar, yellow pine, 
and sugar pine. The distribution of the first three named is expressed 
on these maps in percentages of the total forest. The range of the last 
two species is represented by lines limiting it. 

It will be seen that fir occupies the entire timbered portion of the 
depression between the Coast and Cascade ranges, with the eastern 
slope of the former and the western slope of the latter. Throughout 
most of this area it forms more than three-fourths of the forest, but 
becomes less in proportion near the southern boundary of the State. 

The distribution of cedar corresponds in this State to its distribution 
in Washington, there being none in the valley, while upon the Coast 
Ranges and the Cascade Range, at middle altitudes, it forms a small 
proportion of the forest. It increases in proportion as the shores of the 
Pacific are approached. 

The distribution of hemlock in -western Oregon is similar to that in 
western Washington, there being none in the valley, while upon the 
west slope of the Cascade Range it forms a notable proportion of the 
forest, reaching its maximum at mid altitudes. In the Coast Ranges 
it forms also a notable proportion of the forest, and probably increases 
toward the coast. 

The forests of Oregon east of the Cascade Range are composed 
largely of yellow pine. This species crosses the range a little north 
of latitude 44°. Here, as is indicated by the map, the western limit 
crosses the range and immediately runs northwestward down its slopes, 
then, turning to the south and southwest, it crosses the valley just 
south of Roseburg and passes into the Coast Ranges. For its farther 
extension southward and westward I have no data. 

Sugar pine enters the State from California, extends northward over 
the entire' breadth of the Cascade Range, and probably nearly to the 
coast, its northern limit running as far north as the latitude of Oakland. 

In conclusion, it will be instructive to add the following estimate of 
the timber of Oregon, made in 1895 by Mr. W. T. Griswold, of this office: 

The following estimate of the timber of the State of Oregon is made from personal 
observation during the past five years, and a vast amount of important information 
from cruisers' reports, loggers, and manufacturers of lumber in different parts of the 
State. In such areas as I have had reliable information I have made a summation 
of the estimated amount of timber in each township, finding them to run from 
50,000,000 to 800,000,000 feet to the township, board measure, and finding from these 
results that a generally good timbered area will give an average of 12,000,000 feet 
for a section, or 432,000,000 to the township. I have completed my summation for 
those areas in which I know the limits, but have no information as to the quality 
and amount of timber, using this number as to the amount per township. 



US-CEO LOGICAL SURVEY. 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PA RT V . PL. X. 




OVER 75% 50 TO 7S°c. LESS THAN 50% 

MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF FIR IN A PORTION OF "WESTERN OREGON 



U.S. GEO LOG ICAL SURVEY 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PART V. PL 




10T0 25°o 1T0 1" °o 

MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF CEDAR IN A PORTION OF WESTERN OREGON 



U.S.J3EOL0G I CAL SURVEY. 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL R E PORT PART V. PL. XII 




10 TO 25% 1T010 

MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF HEMLOCK IN A PORTION OF WESTERN OREGON 

SCALE 

2 L ,__■ i—g -f 5 ,° 7 , 5 — 12," MILES 



U.S.^GEOLOGICAL survey. 



NINETEENTH ANNUAL R E PORT PART V. PL. XIII. 




L_ 



MAPSHOWINGTHE LIMITS OFTELLOWPINE AND SUGAR PINE IN A PORTION OP WESTERN OREGON 



qannett.] SAN FRANCISCO FOREST, ARIZONA. 47 

From this we get a result of 200 billion feet of standing timber in the State, dis- 
tributed as follows : 

Feet. 

Clatsop and Columbia counties, coming into the Columbia River 8, 000, 000, 000 

Nehalem River 17, 000, 000, 000 

Tillamook Bay 6,000,000,000 

Tillamook Bay to Smith River 5, 000, 000, 000 

Smith River and the Lower Umpqua 4,500,000,000 

Coos Bay and Coquille River 18, 000, 000, 000 

Bullruu Reserve, coming into the Columbia by way of the Sandy 

River 7,000,000,000 

Clackamas and Santiam rivers 29,000,000,000 

McKenzie and waters of the Willamette 38, 000, 000, 000 

Umpquah iu the Cascades 26, 000, 000, 000 

Rogue River in the Cascades 22, 000, 000, 000 

Scattering, small bodies over the State 2, 500, 000, 000 

Pine in Blue Mountains, eastern part of State 4, 000, 000, 000 

As will be seen, Mr. Griswold's estimate for the Cascade Range and 
the country west thereof is somewhat larger than mine, while his esti- 
mate of the timber in the Blue Mountains and upon the plateau east of 
the Cascades is very much less. From a somewhat extended acquaint- 
ance with this region, I am satisfied that his figures concerning it are 
entirely too small. 

SAN FRANCISCO FOREST, ARIZONA. 

The Territory of Arizona is composed of two parts, differing greatly 
from each other in altitude, and consequently in climate. The northern 
and eastern portion consists of a plateau ranging in altitude from 6,000 
to 8,000 feet. The southern and western portion is low, ranging from 
near sea level up to 4,000 or 5,000 feet. The southern and western 
edges of this great plateau, the Colorado Plateau, are well defined, and 
in the eastern portion are known as the Mogollon Mountains. This 
escarpment runs from the east line of Arizona, near its middle point, 
westward and northwestward, and finally north to the Colorado Can- 
yon. In the southwestern part of this plateau is a group of mountains, 
known as the San Francisco Mountains, which rise to au altitude of 
nearly 13,000 feet. A forest surrounds the base of these mountains, 
stretching thence to the escarpment and down it nearly to its foot. 
This forest accompanies the escarpment southeastward to the Territorial 
boundary, extending nearly to the foot of the escarpment on the south, 
and on the north spreading a variable distance into the plateau. This 
forest extends in a northwest-southeast direction for a distance of 
over 200 miles. Its greatest breadth in a contrary direction is about 
the San Francisco Mountains, where it reaches nearly 50 miles, while 
in other parts the breadth ranges from 12 to 25 miles. Altogether 
it occupies an area of 1,700 square miles, or, approximately, 3,000,000 
acres. 

This is, from all points of view, the finest forest in the Southwest. 
It is composed of an almost pure growth of yellow pine (Pinus ponder- 



48 FOREST RESERVES. 

osa). Upon Sau Francisco Mountain, at certain altitudes yellow pine 
gives way to red fir, and still higher to subalpine species, but the area 
occupied by them is trifling compared with the total extent of the 
forest. It is throughout an open forest, with little or no undergrowth, 
the trees standing far apart. They are of good size for lumber pur- 
poses, clear of branches, and with long, straight stems. It has been 
remarkably free from fires, a fact doubtless due in great part to its open 
character and freedom from underbrush. 

Concerning the amount of timber contained in this forest, I have 
secured cruisings made by the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company 
upon a portion of their grant, which covers parts of this forest. The 
area cruised is in the western portion, in the neighborhood and south 
of Flagstaff. The timber has been estimated upon portions of twenty- 
five townships, an area of 214,000 acres altogether. Upon this area the 
stand was estimated to be 572,700,000 feet B, M., giving an average 
stand per acre of 2,700 feet. From such information as I have been 
able to gain the average stand of timber in other parts of the forest 
does not differ materially from that of the portion examined. If this 
be so, the forest contains a little more than 8,000 million feet of lumber. 

SUMMARY OF FIELD WORK AND ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS. 

During the season of 1S97 examinations were made of the forests 
upon the following reserves: 

The Black Hills Reserve of South Dakota and Wyoming, by H. S. 
Graves; the Bighorn Reserve, Wyoming, by F. E. Town; the Teton 
Reserve and the southern portion of the Yellowstone Park Reserve, 
by Dr. T. S. Brandegee; the Priest River Reserve, Idaho, and the 
eastern portion of the Bitterroot Reserve in Montana and Idaho, by 
Mr. J. B. Leiberg; and the Washington Reserve, Washington, by 
Messrs. H. B. Ayres, W. G. Steele, and M. W. Gorman. Their reports 
upon these reserves form the greater portion of the present volume. 
During the spring of 189S Mr. Leiberg examined the San Jacinto, San 
Bernardino, and San Gabriel reserves, of southern California, and his 
preliminary report is presented herewith. 

The instructions under which these examinations were made differed 
somewhat in the case of different reserves, but were substantially as 
follows : 

The information desired maybe summarized as follows: The delimitation upon 
maps of the wooded area and of the area occupied by merchantable timber. The 
amount of the latter, expressed in feet B. M., should he represented upon the map 
in grades, as follows : 

(1) Under 2,000 feet per acre. 

(2) 2,000 to 5,000 feet per acre. 

(3) 5,000 to 10.000 feet per acre. 

(4) 10,000 to 25,000 feet per acre. 

(5) 25,000 to 50,000 feet per acre. 

(6) 50,000 to 100,000 feet per acre. 
(7; Over 100,000 feet per acre. 



gannett.] BLACK HILLS RESERVE. 49 

All the above data may be represented upon one map, and the larger scale should 
be used. Upon other copies on the smaller scale you will represent the extent of 
each of the most valuable timber trees, such as Western white pine, tamarack, cedar, 
and spruce. 

Notes should be made, preferably upon maps, of the areas which have been cut 
over or culled, with a memorandum of the species cut; of areas burned over, with 
memorandum of the damage inflicted. 

Notes on the following subjects should accompany the maps above specified. 

The character of the soil. 

The forest litter. 

Depth of the humus. 

The character and density of the underbrush and young growth. 

The range in size of the trees of the principal different species. 

The total height, clear trunk, and apparent age and soundness. 

The effect of fires on the reproduction of trees. 

The proportion of dead standing timber. 

The character of the cutting, by whom, and for what purpose. 

The means of transportation of lumber in and out of the reserve, streams, roads, etc. 

The character and extent of the local demand for lumber. 

The effect of sheep pasturage on reserve. 

The use of water for irrigation and milling. 

The extent and distribution of land more valuable for agriculture than for timber. 

BLACK HILLS RESERVE. 

Mr. H. S. Graves commenced work early in July and concluded in 
the latter part of November, having examined the entire region of the 
hills, including much land outside the limits of the reserve. Topo- 
graphic maps of this region, made on a scale of 1 : 125,000, by the Sur- 
vey, are used for the representation of much of the data obtained. 

The area of the reserve, which lies entirely in South Dakota, is 
estimated at 967,680 acres, or about 1,500 square miles. It includes 
practically all the forests of the hills to the east, but on the north and 
northwest there are large areas of forest which are not included. On 
the other hand, in the southwestern part there are large tracts of open 
country which are included in the reserve. 

The Black Hills are situated between the Belle Fourche and the South 
Fork of Cheyenne River, between the forty-third aud forty-fifth par- 
allels of latitude and between the one hundred and third and one hun- 
dred aud fifth meridians. They are an isolated group of mountains, 
whose general trend is NNW.-SSE., and are about 120 miles long by 
40 miles in width. The form of the uplift is elliptic. From the central 
portion the stratified beds have been in part removed, exposing the 
underlying granites in the eastern half, while the western half is still 
covered by Carboniferous limestones. The granite portion is somewhat 
rugged, although the relief is on a small scale. The Carboniferous 
portion has an undulating surface. 

Entirely surrounding this central portion is an elliptic-shaped valley 
of varying breadth, known as the "EaceTrack." This in turn is inclosed 
by a rim of ridges, or hogbacks, ranging in elevation from 200 to 800 
19 GEOL, pt 5 4 



50 FOREST RESERVES. 

feet above the plains. The mean altitude of the plains at the base of 
the hills is about 3,000 to 3,500 feet above sea level, and the average 
elevation of the hills above them is about 2,000 feet. The highest point 
is Harney Peak, in the granite portion of the hills, which has an altitude 
of 7,215 feet above sea level. In the northwestern portion of the hills 
are several isolated peaks of volcanic rock which have broken through 
the overlying strata, and, owing to their greater hardness, they have 
remained while the softer strata have been worn away. 

The exterior outlines of the main body of forest are, for the most 
part, sharply drawn. In general the forest terminates abruptly at the 
inside of the Race Track, or the broad valley lying between the main 
portion of the hills and the hogbacks which encircle them. In certain 
cases where these hogbacks are higher than elsewhere they also are 
clothed with forests. Thus the Elk Mountain Eange, the Pisgah Hills, 
the Inyankara Eange, and the Bear Lodge Mountains are covered with 
timber. In the southern portion of the hills the outline of the timber 
is more irregular than elsewhere and has been pushed back within the 
hills by forest fires. 

In general the timber is dense, but the forest is broken in many places 
by parks and mountain prairies, and enormous tracts have been 
denuded by recent forest fires. The entire area within the exterior 
limits of timber is about 2,600 square miles. Of this 2,000 square miles 
are covered with forest, the rest being either parks or prairies or cov- 
ered with a scattered growth of young timber. 

The amount of merchantable timber within the Black Hills is esti- 
mated at 1,440 million feet B. M. Besides this, it is estimated that the 
hills contain 13,150,000 cords of firewood, poles, ties, etc. 

The only tree in the Black Hills of commercial importance is the yel- 
low pine. The other species are so small, occur in such limited numbers, 
or have so few uses that they are of little or no economic importance. 

The forest, as it is found to-day, does not represent at all what the 
yellow pine is capable of producing in this region. The forest is irreg- 
ular and broken and is composed in many places of defective and scrubby 
trees. There are trees of every age and class, and there are large areas 
where there are no trees at all. For a pure pine forest the yield in 
merchantable timber is extremely small. In some places it will yield 
15,000 to 20,000 feet per acre, but such localities are small in area. In 
general a district which will yield 5,000 feet per acre over the whole 
area is very good, and the average yield of the forested regions is prob- 
ably not over 4,000 feet. For this condition forest fires are directly 
responsible, and the present aspect of the forest is the result of long- 
abuse and the struggle of the forest to reestablish itself. The broken 
condition of the forest, the large proportion of defective trees, the many 
wind breaks, the prairies, parks, and bald ridges, are due to the destruc- 
tive forest fires which have swept the hills periodically for years and 
probably for centuries. 



gannbtt.] BLACK HILLS RESERVE. 51 

The natural forest of yellow pine is dense and composed of trees of 
about the same age. It often comes up in bodies, the trees of which, 
over considerable areas, have the same age, aud the irregular condi- 
tions now found are due entirely to external influences. The original 
forest, uninfluenced by Are or windfall, is found in but few places in 
the Black Hills. Such localities are distinguished on the map as 
those of the heaviest growth. They are found on rich soil aud in pro- 
tected situations. The trees average about 20 inches in diameter, 
with a maximum of 3 feet. This timber reaches a height of from SO 
to 100 feet, and the stems are straight and clear of limbs for from 30 to 
50 feet. 

There is a large amount of young growth scattered throughout the 
original forest, and in the northern part of the hills the timber is com- 
posed almost entirely of second growth, i. e., of thrifty growing trees 
not yet large euough for lumber. 

Although the plains surrounding the Black Hills are within the arid 
region, having a rainfall of less than 20 inches annually, the Black 
Hills, by virtue of their greater altitude and broken character, enjoy a 
greater rainfall, giving them a subhumid climate. In some years there 
is sufficient rainfall for the maturing of crops, and in others there is 
drought, consequently the practice in regard to irrigation is by no 
means uniform. Some farmers prefer to irrigate, and thus insure their 
crops, while others take the chances on the rainfall. In some localities 
the soil is more moist than in others and irrigation is unnecessary in 
the majority of seasons, while in other and drier localities the reverse 
is the case. Hence it is difficult to say whether the criterion of agri- 
cultural land should be the ability to irrigate it. It therefore seems 
best to point out the areas of open valley country within the reserve. 
These open valleys are scattered all over the reserve, intersecting bodies 
of timber in narrow strips, but nowhere appearing in large bodies except 
in the southern part of the reserve, where there is an area, comprising 
several townships, of open country containing but little timber, and 
that in small groves and patches. 

The reserve is traversed by a branch of the Chicago, Burlington and 
Quincy Railroad, aud on this road there are several towns of consid- 
erable size, including Custer, Hill City, Rochford, aud others. The 
ranches upon the reserve are estimated to number 450 to 460. Most 
of these have beeu taken up as placer claims. These ranches contain 
on an average from 30 to 40 acres of plow laud each. The chief prod- 
ucts are oats, hay, and vegetables. 

Such open country as above described, where not available for farm- 
ing, furnishes excellent pasturage. The largest extent of this is the 
great area in the southern part of the hills mentioned above. It is 
estimated that there are about 5,000 head of stock ranging through the 
timbered part of the hills, including the small bunches of cattle and 
horses owned by the ranchmen. There are no sheep pastured within 



52 FOREST RESERVES. 

the bills. It is stated that pasturing of cattle and horses does no harm 
to the forests. 

Mining is the most important industry in the hills, and in the north- 
ern portion, north of the reserve, probably not less than two-thirds of 
the population are supported directly or indirectly by the mines. The 
principal mining center is the vicinity of Lead and Deadwood, 
where the Homestake mine is located. There are a number of other 
small mining towns in the neighborhood, and throughout this portion 
of the hills are scattered mining camps whose inhabitants are pros- 
pecting and are developing discoveries. The most important mineral 
belt in the central hills is at Keystone, where the Holy Terror and Key- 
stone mines, employing a large number of men, are located, and through- 
out the eastern portion of the Black Hills are scattered small mines 
and discovery pits. They are said to be valuable, but are not being 
operated beyond the performance of the work required by law to hold 
the claims. 

As stated above, the hills have been frequently and greatly devas- 
tated by fires. To the prevalence of the latter is doubtless due the 
existence of the open, park like areas in the forest, as well as the poor 
quality of much of the timber, and the young growth, which covers great 
areas. 

The vast majority of fires are doubtless the result of carelessness on 
the part of camping parties. Incendiary fires are not common. Some 
fires are set by sparks from railway trains and some by lightning. 
Many fires have been set by the burning of brush after clearing, though 
these are not so common as formerly. In the early days, before the 
occupation of the region by whites, doubtless fires were set intention- 
ally by Indians to drive game or to improve the pasturage. 

There are forty-two small mills iu operation in the South Dakota 
portion of the Black Hills. These are small, portable mills, capable of 
cutting, as a rule, about 8,000 or 10,000 feet of lumber each per day 
when in full operation. Very few of them, however, are run to their 
full capacity. The total annual output of lumber is estimated at 
20,000,000 feet, besides the amount cut for firewood. Most of this is cut 
for mine timbering in the Homestake and other mines, but no small 
proportion of it is exported from the State. 

BIGHORN RESERVE. 

Mr. F. E. Town commenced work about the middle of July and 
ended at the close of September. 

The limits of the reserve conform in a general way to the outlines of 
the Bighorn Bange, although not closely. In some places they inclose 
small areas of the plains upon the east and west, while in others con- 
siderable mountain and forest areas are excluded. The range, how- 
ever, extends far to the south of the southern limit of the reserve. The 
area of the reserve is 1,198,080 acres, or 1,870 square miles. 



gannett.] BIGHORN RESERVE. 53 

The Bighorn Range has the form of an ellipse, the axis of which 
is somewhat curved, trending in the southern part nearly north and 
south and in the northern part to the northwest. The breadth ranges 
from 30 to 50 miles and the length is between 75 and 100 miles. On 
the east are the plains and ou the west is the Bighorn Basin. Struct- 
urally the range consists of a great anticlinal fold, broad, fiat, and 
rising steeply upon the flanks. The country on either side has an 
elevation of 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level, while the summit of 
the range has an altitude for the most part of 7,500 to 9,000 feet. In 
general, the summit of the rauge is a plateau whose surface is undu- 
lating and hilly and presents comparatively little relief; but here 
and there rise granite summits to altitudes exceeding 10,000 feet, and 
about the middle of the plateau there rises a range of mountains 3,000 
to 4,000 feet above its surface, or 12,000 to 13,000 feet above the sea, 
the highest summit of this rauge being Oloud Peak, with an altitude 
of 13,100 feet. 

While the entire area of the Bighorn Mountains, with the exception 
of a small region above timber line, is, judging from its climate aud 
other indications, capable of producing forests, the general aspect 
of the reserve is that of a lightly timbered region. It contains no large 
or valuable timber. It is only iu a very few localities that any timber 
suitable for the sawmill is to be found, and a large proportional area, 
probably quite one-half, consists of open j:>arks. Nearly all of the 
timbered region has been burned over, and much of it has been repeat- 
edly subjected to devastation from fires. In the park areas it is evi- 
dent that the timber has been driven out completely by fire. Of the 
timbered region a large part is covered with young growth, ranging 
from 10 to 50 years of age, while the ground is strewed with dead trees, 
the victims of fires, and these dead trees also are young and small. 
Fires have prevailed so frequently and universally over this region 
that it is only in limited localities that mature forests exist. 

The destruction of the forests dates back mainly to the time of the 
occupancy of this region by Indians, and the fires were doubtless set 
by them for the purpose of driving out game or improving the pas- 
turage. Since the occupancy of this region by whites fires have been 
few and small. 

Almost all the timber of this reserve consists of lodgepole pine 
(Pinus murrayana). This is generally distributed over the reserve at all 
altitudes, from the level of the plains to timber line. It is an inferior 
wood for lumber purposes. 

Other species of coniferous trees — Pinus flexilis, Picea engelmanni, 
and Pseudotsuga taxifolia — are found, but they are sparsely distributed. 

One of the best bodies of timber in the mountains is located in T. 
55 N., R. 88 W., which was left out of the reserve, probably because 
a portion of its area had passed into private hands. The township 
north of this also contains considerable timber. South of the line of 



54 FOREST RESERVES. 

the reserve, T. 47 N., in Es. S4 to 87, inclusive, is fairly well timbered; 
indeed, quite as fully as the region lying adjacent within the reserve. 

It is estimated that in the entire reserve there are only 100,000 
acres upon which the timber is of sufficient size to be considered 
merchantable, and of this about 22,000 acres have been cut over 
for railroad ties, leaving, approximately, 84,000 acres not cut over. 
Upon this area it is estimated that there are at present 210,000,000 
feet B. M. of standing timber. This statement summarizes the condi- 
tion of things upon the reserve. Its entire area is capable of producing 
timber, but of this area only 7 per cent contains merchantable timber 
at present. 

There were, during the summer of 1897, six sawmills using timber 
from the reserve. These mills cut 1,700,000 feet B. M. per year. In 
recent years about 1,750,000 railroad ties have been cut from Ts. 55 
and 56 K, B. 88 W. This represents about 56,000,000 feet B. M. The 
above figures represent the extent of timber cutting within these 
mountains, with the exception of the small amount cut by settlers for 
their improvements and for firewood. 

Boads across and through these mountains are few in number. There 
are very few settlers and improvements. 

The Bighorn Mountains are used very extensively as a summer range 
for sheep. It is estimated that during the summer of 1897 450,000 
sheep were pastured upon them. At present their range is confined to 
the parks, the adjoining timbered areas being untouched by them ; there- 
fore at present there is no question concerning any injury to the forests 
by them. 

There has been some prospecting for minerals in these mountains for 
several years, but few discoveries have been made which have shown 
sufficient promise to induce regular work. Some mining has been done 
upon Bald Mountain, near Cloud Peak, near Black Mountain, on Tongue 
Biver, and on Wolf Creek. On the whole, however, the mining industry 
is at present a trifling matter. 

There is no arable land within the limits of the reserve. Although 
there is an abundance of open country and of water for irrigation, the 
altitude is so great, and consequently the climate is so severe, that the 
cultivation of any but the hardiest crops is impracticable. 

TETON AND SOUTHERN PART OF YELLOWSTONE PARK 
RESERVE. 

Dr. T. S. Brandegee commenced work about the 1st of July and con- 
cluded about the end of September. 

Tocography. — The principal relief features are simple. Traversing 
the reserve from north to south, near its western boundary is the Teton 
Bange. This has an average breadth of 12 to 15 miles, and is extremely 
rugged, rising in the highest summit, the Grand Teton, to an altitude 
of 13,876 feet, while the average altitude of the range is probably not 



gannett.] TETON AND YELLOWSTONE PARK RESERVE. 55 

far from 12,000 feet. On the west the mountains descend quite steeply 
to Teton Basin, across the eastern upper edge of which runs the west 
boundary of the reserve, at an altitude of 6,500 to 7,000 feet. On the 
east the Teton Range descends by cliffs and extremely steep slopes to 
the valley known as Jackson Hole. This is a broad expanse, extend- 
ing from the north boundary of the reserve in a direction a little west 
of south to the southern boundary. Its breadth ranges from 10 to 12 
miles, and its altitude within the reserve from 6,500 to 7,000 feet. It is 
drained by Snake River, which traverses it from north to south, receiv- 
ing the waters of several large branches from the east, including Buf- 
falo and Gros Ventre rivers. There are several lakes in the valley, the 
largest of which is Jackson Lake, near the north boundary of the 
reserve, through which flows Snake River. The surface of the valley 
is in the main a gravelly bench land, quite level, and producing a 
scanty growth of sagebrush interspersed with grass. The bottom land 
of the river is broad and inclosed between low bluffs. It is covered 
with a dense- growth of cotton woods, willows, and brush. 

The country east of Jackson Hole consists of high, massive mountain 
spurs, descending from a high plateau, 11,000 to 12,000 feet in altitude, 
whose crest lies east of the reserve. In this plateau head Pacific Creek, 
Buffalo River, and the Gros Ventre, which flow westward, through 
narrow valleys, to the Snake. 

Forests. — The broad, rugged summit of the Teton Range is without 
forests, partly because of its great altitude and partly because of its 
extremely rugged character. The small portion of the Teton Basin 
which is within the reserve, and most of the area of Jackson Hole, 
together with the lower portions of the narrow valleys of Buffalo and 
Gros Ventre rivers, are also naturally treeless. The remaining portion 
of the reserve is covered, but more or less sparsely, with timber growth. 
In few localities is the timber such as could properly be called dense, 
and the trees are nowhere large. Over most of this area the timber is 
scattered in small groves, interspersed among open, park-like areas. 
Four-fifths of the timber consists of lodgepole pine (Pinns murrayana), 
the remainder of Engelmann spruce, red fir, juniper, and aspen. The 
trees are small and of little service for any purpose other than fire- 
wood, fencing, and such uses. Thus, although the entire area in which 
timber is found is well adapted in climate and soil to timber growth, 
the amount of timber contained upon it at present is trifling. All 
indications point to fire as the cause for this condition of things. It is 
evident that in times past this region has been devastated by fire so 
frequently that forest growth has been well-nigh prevented. The proof 
of this is seen in the existence everywhere of dead and charred stumps 
of trees and fallen logs, and in the fact that over great areas young 
timber is starting. 

Upon the whole reserve it is estimated that there are not over 22,000 
acres of merchantable timber — that is, of size suitable for saw logs — and 



56 FOREST RESERVES. 

that they contain not over 75,000,000 feet B. M. of lumber. These areas 
are scattered widely over the reserve. 

Agricultural lands. — As stated above, the west boundary includes a 
small area of the upper part of Teton Basin. This is a triangular tract, 
widest at the north, where it may be 6 miles in width, and diminishing 
southward to a point. Nearly all of T. 45 N., R. 118, is within this 
area; also the west half of T. 44 N., R. US'; and the western tiers of 
sections in T. 43, R. 118, are included within it. Although elevated and 
cold, and therefore capable of producing only the hardiest crops, this 
land is susceptible of irrigation and cultivation. 

Jackson Hole comprises a large amount of agricultural land. Its 
situation is favorable for irrigation, and the supply of water is ample for 
the entire area. The altitude, however, is high, and the consequent 
severity of the climate will prevent the production of anything except 
the hardiest vegetables and grains. Its value as agricultural land is 
not, therefore, great. The area included in this valley is as follows: 

In R. 113 W., the three western tiers of sections of T. 46 N. and the 
south half of T. 45 N. 

In R. 114 W., the north half of Ts. 46, 45, and 44. 

In R. 115 W., the west half of Ts. 46, 45, 44, and 43. 

In R. 116 W., the two eastern tiers of sections of T. 44 and the east 
half of T. 43. 

The above tracts comprise all the land within the reserve which can 
be classed as agricultural. 

Settlement. — There are within the reserve 40 ranches, of which 19 
are in the Teton Basin, at the west foot of the Teton Range, the remain- 
ing 21 being in Jackson Hole. They are for the most part only hay 
ranches. On each of them are kept a few head of cattle, which range 
in summer aud are fed wild hay in the winter. ISTo attempt, so far as 
known, has been made to cultivate crops in either locality. The stock 
kept in Jackson Hole are few in number and their range thus far has 
been limited to the valley. There are no sheep ranged within the 
reserve. 

Two sawmills are in operation cutting timber within it. Both are 
small and are located at the west base of the Teton Range, one upon 
the creek flowing west of Teton Pass, the other upon Darby Creek. 

Settlements in the neighborhood of this reserve being extremely 
sparse, there is scarcely any demand for lumber, and none may be 
anticipated in the immediate future. 

The only means of communication are by wagon road and trails. 
The only wagon road of importance within the region is that which, 
coming from the west, crosses the Teton Range at Teton Pass, and, 
descending to Jackson Hole, follows up Snake River into Yellowstone 
Park, with a branch leading over the divide at Grassy Lakes and down 
Falls River. 



SUMMARY OF FIELD WORK. 57 



BITTERROOT RESERVE. 



The area of the reserve is 6,4S0 square miles, or 4,147,200 acres, of 
which 3,456,000 are in Idaho and 691,200 are in Montana. 

Only a portion of this reserve was examined in detail, consisting of the 
Montana part, together with a small area upon Magruder Fork of 
Clearwater River. 

Topography. — The State line between Montana and Idaho follows the 
crest of the Bitterroot Range, a broad and rugged mass of mountains, 
rising to altitudes of 6,000 feet in the passes and to 10,000 feet on the 
highest peaks. The descent on the east is short and abrupt to the val- 
ley of Bitterroot River. Upon the west the spurs are long and the 
streams flowing westward into the Clearwater are, in the main, in deep 
canyons. 

The east boundary of the reserve as at present established crosses 
during the most of its course the mountain spurs and gorges just above 
the Bitterroot Valley, but near the south end of the valley the reserve 
is extended eastward, so as to include the drainage area of the South and 
West forks of the Bitterroot. Here the stream is divided into several 
branches, these being in narrow valleys separated by spurs of consid- 
erable height. 

Upon the west side of the divide, in Idaho, the country so far as 
examined consists of an alternation of high mountain spurs and deep 
narrow gorges. 

Forests. — At great altitudes aud upon the sides and summits of the 
rocky spurs the forests are scanty and poor. It is only in the lower 
country, especially in the upper valleys of the branches of the Bitter- 
root, in the canyons of its tributaries farther north, and on the lower 
slopes of the mountains, that forests of economic value are found. 
There may accordingly be distinguished two zones of forest distribu- 
tion, depending upon altitude. The lower of these may be distinguished 
as the yellow-pine zone, the upper as that of the alpine-fir zone. The 
areas occupied by these two zones constitute, respectively, 26 per cent 
and 74 per cent of the Montana portion of the reserve. 

The timber in the yellow-pine zone consists mainly of red fir aud 
yellow pine in the proportion of 60 per cent aud 30 per cent, the 
remainder being of other and less valuable species. In the subalpiue 
zone nine-tenths of the timber consists of lodgepole pine, which is 
of little commercial value. The heaviest and most valuable stands of 
timber are found upon the upper waters of Bitterroot River, in the 
southeastern part of the reserve. 

The total amount of merchantable timber in the Montana portion of 
the reserve is estimated at 554,500,000 feet B. M., including in this only 
that which is suitable for saw purposes. This consists entirely of yel- 
low pine and red fir. No estimate has been made of the amount of 
lodgepole pine, as this is of little value for lumber purposes, since it is 
situated in inaccessible localities. 



58 FOREST RESERVES. 

Outside the reserve, on the bench lands in the Bitterroot Valley 
adjoining the reserve, is a large amount of timber, estimated at 
467,000,000 feet, or an amount nearly equal to that included within 
the Montana portion of the reserve. 

Upon the Idaho side of the divide there was examined an area of 
about 650 square miles. Similar zones of timber were recognized here — 
the subalpine zone, which comprised about 400 square miles, and the 
yellow-pine zone, comprising about 250 square miles. The subalpine 
zone is here as worthless for timber as upon the Montana side, the only 
timber suitable for the sawmill being in the yellow-pine zone. The 
estimated stand of timber within this area is 450,000,000 feet B. M., of 
which far the greater part consists of yellow pine, with a considerable 
quantity of red fir and about 72,000,000 feet of cedar. This cedar is 
found in dense groves in the bottoms of canyons, where a partial 
damming of the stream has produced marshy conditions. The density 
of its growth may be understood by the statement that in the areas 
occupied by it its stand is, on an average, 40,000 feet B. M. to the 
acre. 

Agricultural lands. — There are no agricultural lands within the region 
examined on the Idaho side, and on the Montana side such areas are 
of trifling extent. They are situated in the valleys of South Pork, 
Little South Fork, West Fork, and Little West Fork. Altogether tbey 
are estimated to comprise about 1,500 acres. 

Grazing. — The hillsides of the upper portion of the Bitterroot Valley 
are utilized to some extent for grazing. No sheep are pastured there, 
only cattle and horses, and no appreciable damage appears to be done 
by this grazing. 

Mining. — There is no mining within that part of the reserve exam- 
ined, except in the southeastern portion. In the valley of the South 
Fork many claims have been taken up upon Slate, Overwhich, Hughes, 
and Coal creeks, and some mining is being done, but upon a limited 
scale. 

Timber cutting. — The cutting of timber upon the reserve may be 
grouped under three heads: (1) The cutting by squatters to improve 
their holdings, (2) cutting by pretended squatters for the market, and 
(3) cutting under timber permits. The first of these is of little moment; 
the third is by far the greatest. Altogether there has been logged 
within the Montana portion of the reserve an area estimated at 6,500 
acres. In some cases the timber has been entirely removed and in 
others it has been only partially done, the timber being floated down 
Bitterroot Biver to the mills. 

There are several mills in the Bitterroot Valley, the largest and most 
important of which is that of the Bitterroot Development Company, 
which supplies lumber to the Anaconda mine and to the general market. 

The merchantable timber in the Montana portion of the reserve is 
comparatively easy of access and can all be readily logged. At the 



gannett.] PRIEST RIVER RESERVE. 59 

present rate of cutting the standing- timber will in a few years be 
exhausted. 

Forest fires.— Fires upon the Montana side of the reserve have prob- 
ably been as extensive as elsewhere in the West, but have done far less 
damage to the merchantable timber, owing to the fact that yellow pine 
and red fir offer greater resistance to fires than do trees of other 
species. Probably not more than 5 per cent of the forests of these spe- 
cies has been destroyed. • Higher up, in the subalpine zone, however, 
fires have been more disastrous, and it is estimated that fully 80 per 
cent of the wooded portion of this zone has been visited by fires withiu 
the last twenty-five or thirty years. While the destruction of mer- 
chantable timber by these fires has been slight, their effect upon the 
stream flow has in all probability been serious. The streams flowing- 
eastward from the JBitterroot Mountains into Bitterroot Eiver have 
very short, straight courses and an extremely steep descent. The 
clearing of the forests from their headwaters can not fail to change 
their regimen in such wise as to produce disastrous floods at one time 
of the year and low water during the remainder, thus inflicting double 
injury upon the agricultural interests in the valley. 

The above description of the forest conditions of the eastern portion 
of the Bitterroot Reserve is derived from a report made by Mr. Leiberg, 
who devoted the last half of the season to its examination. 

PRIEST RIVER RESERVE. 

Mr. Leiberg commenced work upon the Priest Biver Reserve July 1, 
and finished the examination of that reserve in August. 

The reserve comprises the drainage basin of Priest Lake and River, 
together with certain small bodies of land in the southern part drained 
directly to Clarke Fork. It lies mainly in the State of Idaho, a small 
portion of its area being comprised in northeastern Washington. Its 
area in Idaho is estimated at 552,960 acres, and that in Washington 
at 92,160, a total of 645,120 acres, or a little over 1,000 square miles. 

Topography.— It is mainly a mountainous region, the level tracts 
forming probably not more than 12 or 14 per cent of the whole. In 
elevation it ranges from 2,000 to 8,000 feet. The reserve is composed 
mainly of the opposing slopes of two mountain ranges, one upon each 
side of the valley which incloses Priest Lake and River, and the sum- 
mits of which form the east and west limits of the reserve. These two 
ranges converge nearly to a point at the north boundary of the reserve. 
The east range is an extension northwestward of the Cabinet Range; 
the western will be called here Pend Oreille Range. Of the two the 
Cabinet Range is the higher, its summit having an average altitude of 
about 6,000 feet, with peaks rising to 8,000, and is extremely rugged. 
The Pend Oreille Range is much less rugged than its neighbor and is 
less elevated, rarely rising above 6,000 feet. Priest Lake, which occu 
pies a portion of the valley between the two ranges, is composed of two 



60 FOREST RESERVES. 

parts. The upper portion is about 2 miles long and a mile wide. The 
lower portion is the main lake. It has a length of about 18 miles and 
is from one-half a mile to 5 miles in width. It is drained southward 
by Priest River to Clarke Fork. 

Forests. — The Priest River Reserve is essentially a forest-covered 
region. There are but few tracts within its boundaries that do not now, 
or did not a few years ago, support a dense, magnificent forest. The 
only areas destitute of forests from natural causes are marshes and the 
rocky crests and slides in the mountains. These, together with the 
■water surface of the lakes and streams, are estimated to aggregate 
about 50,000 acres, which is only 8 per cent of the entire area. 

The forests of this reserve may be grouped, for descriptive purposes, 
in three zones, depending upon altitude, distinguished as (1) subalpine 
fir, (2) white pine, and (3) yellow pine. The first of these comprises 
the area lying above an altitude of about 4,800 feet. The trees found 
within it are almost exclusively the subalpine fir and the whitebark 
pine, mainly the former. Neither of these species is of importance to 
the lumberman, largely because of the inaccessibility of its habitat. 

The white pine zone is the predominant one. It is found mainly 
between altitudes of 2,400 and 4,800 feet above sea level, altitudes which 
comprise about four fifths of the forested portion of the reserve. The 
chief species found in this portion of the reserve are Western white 
pine and tamarack, although there are several other species of com- 
mercial importance mingled with them, such as cedar, Engelmaun 
spruce, western hemlock, and white fir. The heaviest growth occurs 
on the level areas bordering the principal streams and is most abun- 
dant in the western half of the reserve. This zone is far the most 
important of those above mentioned from a commercial standpoint, 
containing much the largest quantity of commercial timber and being 
generally easy of access. 

The yellow-pine zone lies below that of the white pine, but the line 
of demarcation is not always easy to establish, the two zones merging 
into each other by insensible degrees. The principal species within 
this zone are the yellow pine, red fir, and white fir, nearly three- fourths 
of the timber consisting of red fir. The first two of these species are 
of commercial value. 

The amount of merchantable timber at present contained in the 
reserve is estimated at 4,S33 million feet 13. M., including that suit- 
able for saw timber, railway ties, and telegraph poles. The amount 
available for each of these several purposes is estimated as follows : 

II feet B. M. 

Saw timber 1, 903, 600 

Railroad ties 2, 720, 000 

Telegraph poles 210,000 

The forests have suffered greatly from fires at various times in the 
past, as is indicated by the fact that the forest is of widely differing 



gannett.] WASHINGTON RESERVE. 61 

age in different parts. The reserve contains bodies of timber of all 
ages, ranging from 250 and 300 years down to young saplings of a few 
years of age only, and the ground under the young trees is thickly 
strewn with fallen logs, charred and partially rotten, the remains of 
the fires. 

It is estimated that if the reserve had remained untouched by recent 
fires it would contain at present 16,2.50 million feet B. M. of timber, 
instead of less than 5,000, million, which it contains at present. More 
than 11,000 million feet of timber has been destroyed by fire within 
the last thirty-five years, without benefiting anyone. 

Cutting. — But little cutting has been done upon the reserve. Most 
of that consisted of tie timber and piling used in the construction of 
the Great Northern Railway. Last summer parties were cutting west- 
ern white pine in small quantities and shipping it out. Aside from 
this the only consumption of timber upon the reserve has been by 
settlers for their improvements and for fuel. 

The only means available at the present time for transporting lum- 
ber out of the reserve is by driving down Priest Biver to the Great 
Northern Bailway. 

Arable lands. — The arable lands are found entirely in the Clarke Fork 
Valley and in that of Priest Lake and Biver, the whole aggregating 
about 10,000 acres. They consist of high ground covered with sedges 
or grass, marshes which can be reclaimed, grass land subject to over- 
flow, and cleared land on the benches adjacent to streams. The bulk 
of them are situated on the western side of the valley of Priest Lake 
and River, where the rock formation is softer and the valleys are con- 
sequently broader and more level. The greater portion of these tracts 
is held by settlers. 

Many squatters' claims have been located in the white-pine forest, 
ostensibly for agricultural purposes, but less than 5 acres have been 
cleared altogether from the living white-pine forest. 

Mineral claims. — Many claims have been located within the reserve, 
but none have been as yet sufficiently developed to show profitable 
deposits. 

WASHINGTON RESERVE. 

This being much the largest of all the areas to be examined, and by 
far the most important from an economic standpoint, much fuller pro- 
vision was made for its examination than in the case of the other 
reserves. For the examination of the portion of this reserve lying east 
of the divide of the Cascade Bange, Messrs. W. G. Steel and M. W. 
Gorman were employed. They commenced work about the middle of 
August and completed it in the latter part of November. For the 
western portion Mr. H. B. Ayres was employed, and to its examina- 
tion he devoted four and a half months — from the middle of July to the 
end of November. 



62 FOREST RESERVES. 

Topography. — This reserve is composed almost entirely of high moun- 
tain ranges intersected by deep valleys. It is traversed by the crest 
of the Cascade Eange, which, entering the reserve from British Colum- 
bia, near longitude 120° 45', trends in a generally southwesterly direc- 
tion across the reserve, although making several great turns to the 
south and west in its course. This crest aud the mountains in its neigh- 
borhood are extremely rugged, rising to altitudes exceeding 10, OLIO 
feet, and contain many glaciers. Eastward aud westward from the 
crest the mountains diminish in altitude. 

West of the divide the reserve is drained westward to Puget Sound, 
mainly by Skagit and Stilaguamish rivers and their branches. East 
of the divide the Methow and Stehekin rivers drain it to Columbia 
Eiver. 

The rainfall is heavy upon the western slope of the range. Upon, 
the eastern side it is decidedly less, so that irrigation is commonly 
required for the production of crops. The streams are numerous and 
bold. The rainfall is, however, less than it has been in past time, as is 
evidenced by the fact that every canyon and gorge leading out of the 
mountains has been until recently the bed of a glacier, whose remains 
still exist, occupying the mountain valleys. 

Forests. — Almost the entire area of the reserve is naturally a forested 
region, with the exception of a few small tracts, which are above tim- 
ber line, or which are composed of rocky mountain slopes, upon which 
there is not sufficient soil for trees to obtain footing, and with the excep- 
tion of the valley of Methow Eiver in the east. The natural forest 
growth differs greatly in density in different parts. It is densest in the 
lower valleys on the west side, and diminishes in density as the summit 
of the range is approached. The east side of the mountains is much 
less densely forested than the west side, aud the forests diminish as the 
elevation becomes less upon the east side. This arrangement of the 
forests has, however, been interfered with greatly by fires, which have 
denuded large areas entirely and have reduced the density in other 
places. The results of these fires have been more disastrous on the 
east side than on the west, owing to its generally drier conditions. 

The commonest tree upon the reserve is the western hemlock (Tsuga 
mertensiana). Far the greater part of the timber on the reserve con- 
sists of this species. 

Another common tree is the Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), which is 
found along streams up to an altitude of 2,000 feet. 

Eed fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) is fouud in the bench lands of the 
valleys and the lower mouutain slopes. 

Cedar (Thuja plicata) is found mixed with red fir and hemlock in the 
bottom lands and on mountain tops. 

Mountain cedar (Ohamcecyparis nootkatensis) is fouud on mountain 
slopes above 2,000 feet. 



gaknett.] "WASHINGTON RESERVE. 63 

Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmcmni) is found at high altitudes, and 
is small and difficult of access. 

White fir (Abies grandis) is found on moist land and northern slopes 
up to 5,000 feet. 

Abies amabilis is found on moist land and northern slopes up to 4,000 
feet. 
Alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) is found on the higher slopes and summits. 
White pine (Pinus monticola) is found sparingly at medium altitudes 
on bench lands and lower mountain slopes. 

Yellow pine (Pinus ponder osa) is found in the drier parts of the upper 
Skagit Valley and generally in the lower portions of the eastern part 
of the reserve. 

The lodgepole pine (Pinus murrayana) is found sparingly in dry bench 
lands and generally in the drier eastern portions of the reserve. 

White-bark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is sparsely distributed at high 
altitudes. 

Alpine larch (Larix lyellii) is not uncommon along the summit of 
the Cascade Eange from Cascade Pass northward. 

The principal among these species for lumber purposes are the hem- 
lock, spruce, red fir, cedar, and yellow pine. 

The total amount of standing timber upon this reserve is estimated 
to be not far from 20,000 million feet B. M., two- thirds of which is hem- 
lock, the remainder being distributed among the other species. 

Agricultural land. — The tracts of land within the limits of the reserve 
which are suitable for agriculture are numerous but individually small 
in area. On the west side of the divide, where the rainfall is abundant 
and irrigation is not necessary for the cultivation of crops, all the flat 
valley land not at too great elevation is of value for this purpose. 
Such lands are as follows: 

A strip along each fork of the Stilaguamish 3 miles in breadth. 

The valley of Sauk Eiver below the south fork of the north fork, 3 
miles in width. 

In the valley of Suiattle Eiver for a distance of 12 miles within the 
reserve, with an average breadth of 1 mile. 

The valley of Cascade Eiver for a distance of 6 miles within the west 
boundary of the reserve, by half a mile in width. 

The valley of Skagit Eiver, from Euby Creek to Goodells, with an 
average breadth of 2 miles. 

The valley of Baker Eiver, from Baker Lake to the boundary of the 
reserve, with an average breadth of -1 miles, and above Baker Lake, 
with a breadth of 1 mile. 

The valley of North Fork of Nooksack Eiver, below Euby Creek, 
with a width of 1 mile. 

The total area of these tracts is estimated at 230 square miles. 
Upon the east side of the divide the agricultural lands generally 
require irrigation, and are therefore limited, not only by their location 



64 FOREST RESERVES. 

and surface, but by the amount of water available. They are as fol- 
lows : A few tracts in the Methow Valley and along Twisp Eiver, a few 
trifling patches on the shores of Lake Chelan, and a narrow strip in 
the valley of Stehekin River. Altogether, the area of the arable land 
in this part of the reserve is trifling, and has already been filed upon 
or is held by squatters. 

Grazing. — There is very little pasturing of stock within the reserve, 
and none whatever of sheep. The western portion of the reserve 
affords but little pasturage, owing to the density of the forest. The 
eastern portion, on the other hand, affords much excellent summer 
grazing in the high mountain valleys and slopes, but it is little utilized 
as yet. 

Means of communication. — These are extremely scanty. The Everett 
and Monte Oristo Railway, which connected the mines at Monte Cristo 
with Everett, upon Puget Sound, some 60 miles, ran for half its dis- 
tance within the lines of the reserve. This, however, has been com- 
pletely washed out recently, and is, it is understood, not to be rebuilt. 
There are wagon roads from Barlow Pass to Goat Lake, from the mouth 
of White Chuck River down Sauk River, and along Cascade River, all 
on the west side of the reserve. These form about 30 miles of wagon 
roads within the reserve on this side. Upon the east side there is a 
road for a short distance up the valley of Methow River. 

There are numerous trails, passable for pack horses, connecting dif- 
ferent portions of the reserve. The principal one of these, which con- 
nects the valley of Methow River with Marblemount, at the junction of 
Cascade and Skagit rivers, by way of the Twisp, Bridge Creek, Stehekin 
River, and Cascade Pass, is now being improved at the expense of the 
State, and may be developed into a wagon road. 

Mining. — There is considerable mining, consistiug'mainly of develop- 
ment work, going on within the reserve. At Monte Cristo and Silver- 
ton are developed producing mines, which were worked actively until 
the recent destruction by flood of the Everett and Monte Oristo Railway. 
These two mining camps contained several hundred inhabitants each. 
The destruction of the road has, however, caused a cessation of activity. 
Mineral discoveries have been made at other points along this road and 
in its neighborhood. 

Many discoveries have been made in the Ruby Creek mining district, 
on the upper waters of Skagit River, in the Methow district, on the 
upper waters of the Methow, and in the mountains west of the upper 
end of Lake Chelan, but, owing to lack of transportation, little has 
been done beyond development work. 

Settlements. — Upon the west side, the mining towns of Monte Cristo 
and Silverton have already been mentioned. Besides these there is 
some little settlement in the valley of the Stilaguamish below Silverton. 
Upon the Sauk, within the reserve, there are a few ranches. Upon 
Cascade Eiver are three or four ranches, and there is some settlement 



gahnett.] SAN JACINTO RESERVE. 65 

in the Ruby Greek district depending upon the mines. Upon the east 
side there are a number of ranches in the Methow Valley, including the 
little town of Winthrop and the mining village of Camp Gilbert. Upon 
Lake Chelan there are a few ranches and the hotel at the head of the 
lake. A few miners are located upon Railroad and Company creeks, 
west of the upper portion of the lake. 

Timber cutting. — There is no timber cutting withiu the reserve, 
except a trifling amount for the local needs of the settlers and mines. 
There is at present very little demand for its timber, the general market 
being supplied by the forests farther west. 

The facilities for getting timber out of the reserve are very poor. With 
the exception of the trifling amount of wagon roads, the only routes 
would be by the streams, and these are extremely rapid and rocky. 
Much work would be required upon them to make them suitable for 
driving logs. 

SAN JACINTO RESERVE. 

The three reserves in southern California — San Jacinto, San Bernar- 
dino, and San Gabriel — were examined by Mr. J. B. Leiberg in the 
spring of 1898, and his preliminary report upon them forms part of the 
present volume. The fuller and more complete report upon these 
reserves will be published later. 

The San Jaciuto Forest Reserve comprises about 740,000 acres, or 
about 1,160 square miles. It is a mountainous and broken country, 
comprising the San Jacinto and Toro ranges and the Toro and Coahuila 
mesas. The rock formation is granite or allied rocks. 

The elevation ranges from 3,000 to 10,000 feet. The lower portion — 
up to an altitude of about 5,000 feet — is arid and is covered with a 
dense growth of chaparral. Above 5,000 feet the country is wooded, 
the timber consisting almost entirely of yellow pine, with a little sugar 
pine and Coulter's pine and other species scattered sparsely through it. 
Of the entire area of the reserve 141,000 acres only are timbered, and 
upon this land there is, it is estimated, timber to the amount of 
91,110,000 feet B. M. Of its area only 2,000 acres are under cultiva- 
tion, and to a small extent only is it used for pasturage. 

There has been considerable timber cutting in the reserve, but at 
present there are only two small mills operating there. As the region 
lies within the land graut of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, 
one half of the area, consisting of alternate sections, belongs to that 
corporation. 

SAN BERNARDINO RESERVE. 

This reserve comprises an area of 737,000 acres. It consists wholly 

of the San Bernardino Range, a somewhat complex mass with a 

northwest-southeast trend. The altitude ranges from 3,000 to 11,600 

feet upon the highest summit of the range. The rock formation 

19 geol, pt 5 5 



000 921 517 7 



66 FOREST RESERVES. 

is almost entirely granite. As in the San Jacinto Reserve, the lower 
portion of this reserve is covered with dense chaparral, running up ta 
an altitude of about 5,000 feet. The lands above the latter elevation 
are covered with open forests, consistiug almost exclusively of yellow 
pine. These timbered areas comprise, it is estimated, 246,000 acres, or 
about one-third the area of the reserve. Besides this there is an area 
of 64,000 acres upon the north side of the range, within the reserve, 
covered with pinon pine and juniper, which is of no value for lumber 
purposes, but is serviceable for firewood. The estimated amount of 
merchantable timber upon the reserve is 479,440,000 feet B. M. 

The cultivated tracts upon the reserve amount, in the aggregate, to 
only 1,200 acres. 

The reserve is but little used for pasturage purposes, although the 
pasturage is excellent in the pine forests. 

SAN GABRIEL RESERVE. 

This reserve comprises the Sierra Madre of southern California, an 
extension to the northwestward of the San Bernardino Range. The 
area of the reserve is 550,000 acres, but about 650,000 acres were 
examined. The region .ranges in altitude from 1,000 to 10,000 feet — the 
summit of the highest peak, "Old Baldy." Up to an altitude of 5,000 
feet, as in the other reserves, it is covered with chaparral, while above 
this elevation the high mountain valleys and the mountains them- 
selves are covered with an open forest, consisting largely of yellow 
pine. The timbered areas comprise about 100,000 acres, and the amount 
of merchantable timber within the reserve is estimated at 60,000,000 
feet B. M. All of it is of inferior quality, being short and knotty, and 
a great part of it is, at present at least, inaccessible. There is little 
cultivated land within the reserve. 



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